Child Temperament: The Nine Traits

We are going to continue our discussion of temperament by discussing the nine traits identified by researchers Chess and Thomas.  Most of these are self-explanatory so I haven't described them in much depth but rather posed questions to help you determine how this trait fits your child.  I like to consider each of these traits as a continuum with most children falling in the middle and some scattered to either end.  It's late, so I hope that makes sense!  Let's get to it.  Here they are:

• Activity. Is your child always moving and doing something or does he have a more relaxed style? 
• Rhythmicity.  Is your child regular in his or her eating and sleeping habits or somewhat haphazard?  Some kids run like clockwork and others just don't seem to have any rhyme or reason.  I find that my kids can be very regular regarding somethings (like what time they get up) and irregular about others (like what time they go to bed).
• Approach/withdrawal.  Does your child approach unfamiliar people and places without inhibition or tend to shy away from new people or things? 
• Adaptability.  Does your child adjust to changes in routines or plans easily or does he or she resist transitions? 
• Intensity.  Does he react strongly to situations, either positive or negative, or does he react calmly and quietly?
• Mood.  Does your child often express a negative outlook or is he generally a positive person.  Does his mood shift frequently or is he usually even tempered?
• Persistence and Attention Span.  Does he give up as soon as a problem arises with a task or does he keep trying?  Can he stick with an activity for a long time or does his mind tend to wander?
• Distractibility.  Is he easily distracted from what he is doing or can he shut out external distractions and stay with the current activity?
• Sensory Threshold.  Is he bothered by external stimuli such as loud noises, bright lights or food textures or does he tend to ignore them?

These traits combine to form three basic types of temperaments.  Approximately 65 percent of all children fit one of these three patterns.  The other 35 percent of children are a combination of these patterns. By understanding these patterns, parents can tailor their parenting approach in such areas as expectations, encouragement and discipline to suit the child's unique needs.  See how our previous discussion on parenting style fits?

More on the three basic temperament types next time!

Comments

[mrsfortune]

Hmmm ... how early can you tell this stuff?

[Jill Urbane, The Mentor Mom]

I recall being able to notice some of these traits in both of my kids at a very young age. For example, my daughter fell easily into a feeding and sleep routine as an infant which continues to this day (rhythmicity). My son was very active as an infant crawling and walking early. After that he ran constantly. To this day, he is always moving, e.g., a leg, a finger, etc. Drives me crazy!

[Jenny]

Interesting stuff. I'm ready to see what comes next!

[Jill Urbane, The Mentor Mom]

Wait no longer Jenny!