Temperamental Components

These are the nine temperamental components identified by Thomas and Chess:

1. Activity level - How much physical and mental energy a person has. Is the child a mover (highly active) or a sitter (low activity level)?
2. Regularity (or rhythmicity) - How predictable a person’s biological functions are (such as eating, sleeping, bowel movements, etc.). Is the child regular in habits (always walking early and hungry) or unpredictable (times of waking and appetite change daily)?
3. Approach vs. withdrawal (or initial reaction) - How a person first reacts to novelty (such as new people or places). Is the child cautious (needs to watch before joining in) or daring (jumps right in)?
4. Adaptability - How fast a person adjusts to change over the long-term. Does the child adapt quickly or resist new routines or approaches?
5. Intensity - How strongly a person expresses his or her feelings. Does everyone know when the child is happy or sad? Or is the child mild in his or her reactions? For example, I am higher on the intensity scale than my spouse. It took us both a while to understand the other’s style--he learned that my yelling didn’t mean I wanted a divorce, and I found out that the tense jaw muscle meant he was really upset.
6. Mood (or quality of mood) - The basic positive or negative effect of a person. Is the child usually a cheerful smiler or a fussy complainer?
7. Distractibility - How easily environmental input disturbs a person’s ability to focus on a task. For example, does the child notice everything and get easily sidetracked, or can he continue concentrating regardless of diversions?
8. Persistence (or attention span) - The ability to tolerate frustration and keep trying. Does the child give up quickly when something’s hard or keep trying despite difficulties?
9. Sensitivity (or sensory threshold of responsiveness) - How aware and bothered a person is by input from the senses. Child’s sensitivity to environmental sensations can vary widely (for example, one could be very sensitive to the feel of clothing but not bothered by sounds). Extremes at either end of the spectrum (hypersensitive/oversensitive or hyposensitive/undersensitive) should be evaluated further since either may indicate a condition such as Asperger’s or sensory integration disorder. Do textures or noises or lights bother the child? Or does she seem oblivious to external input?