Persistence & Attention Span refers to the ability to stay with a task through frustrations and the length of time on the task. A persistent person can sit and continue until the task is complete whereas a person who tends to have a short attention span will just give up when they become frustrated or distracted.

Can you stay with an activity for a long period of time or do you just give up when you become frustrated?

PERSISTENCE & ATTENTION SPAN

      Persistent/Long___________________________________________Intermitent/Short

Tips for Managing the Extremes

For the someone who shows low persistence:

• Break tasks into small steps, and acknowledge small successes.
• Try timed work periods followed by short breaks.
• Reward them for sustained effort and finished assignments.

For the those who are overly persistent:

• Provide lots of warning before transitions.
• Remind them that it’s not always possible to be perfect.

Reference: Wikipedia

Photocredit: Nevin Taylor 2008

Sensitivity refers to how easily you are disturbed by changes in the environment. It is also referred to as Sensory Threshold or threshold of responsiveness. If you are sensitive you may be distracted by a door slamming and will not be able to maintain focus. Whereas those who tend not to be sensitive to external noises are able to maintain their focus.

Do you get bothered by external stimuli in the environment, eg noises, textures, lights, etc. or do you just seem not to be bothered by them at all and simply ignore them?

SENSITIVITY

          Nonreactive___________________________________________Sensitive

Tips for Managing the Extremes

For the those with high sensitivity:

• Acknowledge their feelings and provide ways for them to make themselves more comfortable.
• Layer clothes to allow for adjustments on days that are too warm or too cold.
• Avoid overstimulation, e.g., loud music, strobe lights, noisy groups of people.

For someone with low sensitivity:

• Notice external cues by paying attention to sounds in the environment, odors, and changes in the colors of stoplights leaves etc. Use mindfulness techniques.
• Become aware of interpersonal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, personal space.

Reference: Wikipedia

Photocredit: Nevin Taylor 2008

Distractibility refers to the tendency to be sidetracked by other things going on around you.  Someone who is easily distracted notices everything going on around them and has a hard time returning back to the task at hand. Whereas if you are rarely distracted you have  the ability to stay focused and complete the task at hand.

Are you easily distracted by what is happening in the environment around you or can you concentrate despite the interruptions?

DISTRACTIBILITY

               Rarely___________________________________________Easily

Tips for Managing the Extremes

If you are highly distractible:

• Reduce external distractions as much as possible.
• Keep instructions short.
• Use a special cue — gesture or word — to remind them to get back on task.

For the person who has low distractibility:

• Cue them when it’s time to move on to something new, e.g., say their name or touch their arm.
• Set a timer to remind them when to move on to the next task or activity.

Reference: Wikipedia

Photocredit: Nevin Taylor 2008

Intensity refers to the energy level of a positive or negative response. If you are on the more on the intense side you may jump up and down screaming with excitement whereas a mild mannered person may just smile.

Do you react intensely to a situation or  respond in a calm and quiet manner?

INTENSITY

                 Mild___________________________________________Intense

Tips for Managing the Extremes

If you know someone who is less responsive:

• Don’t equate a lack of intensity with lack of feelings.
• Watch and listen carefully to pick up more subtle clues to problems.

For the overly responsive person:

• Control of emotional responses through anger management, self-talk, or calming strategies may be necessary.

Reference: Wikipedia

Photocredit: Nevin Taylor 2008

Adaptability refers to how long it takes to adjust to change. This is different from the Initial Reaction. Adaptability refers to the long term adjustment made after the first reaction to the new situation.  For someone  who adjusts easily they may be quick or it may take no time at all to settle into a new routine. Whereas those  who are resistant it may take a long time to adjust to the situation.

Do you adjust to the changes in your environment easily or are you resistant to what is happening around you?

ADAPTABILITY

                Quick___________________________________________Gradual

Tips for Managing the Extremes

For people who are slow to adapt:

•  Give plenty of warning about transitions.
•  Role play or practice expected behaviors before going into new situations.
•  Acknowledge the stress you may feel in new situations and encourage communication about it.

For those who adapt too easily:

• Teach yourself to make your own decisions rather than just go along with the group.
• Start to find out all you can about an activity before signing up and committing your time.

Reference: Wikipedia

Photocredit: Nevin Taylor 2008

Initial reaction is also known as Approach or Withdrawal. This refers to how you respond to new people or environments either positive or negative.  Someone who is bold will tend to approach things quickly as if without thinking. More cautious people typically prefer to watch for a while before engaging in new experiences.

Do you check out people or things in their environment without hesitation or shy away?

INITIAL REACTION

      Bold/Approaches___________________________________________Cautious

Tips for Managing the Extremes

For someone who approaches new situations easily:

• Develop firm rules to provide a safe environment for curiosity.
• Teach yourself to use reasonable caution with new people or in new situations.

For someone who withdraws:

• Allow time to adjust to new situations; let yourself set the pace.
• Quietly encourage them, without pushing, to try new activities and make new friends.

Reference: Wikipedia

Photocredit: Nevin Taylor 2008

This is also known as Rhythmicity and refers to the level of predictability in a child’s biological functions such as waking, becoming tired, hunger and bowel movements. Does the child have a routine in their eating and sleeping habits or do they just seem to happen whenever? A child who is predictable will need to eat at 2pm everyday whereas a child who is less predictable will eat at sporadic times throughout the day.

Regularity

Predictable/Regular_________________________________Unpredictable/Sporadic

Tips for Managing the Extremes

For someone who demonstrates high predictability:

• Provide advance warning of changes in routine.

• Help them learn to handle changes to develop flexibility in behaviours.

For those with low predictability:

• Create routines, eg sit down with the family for dinner even if you are not hungry or go to bed at a regular time even if not sleepy.

• Reward successes, such as turning in a paper on time

Reference: Wikipedia

Photocredit: Nevin Taylor 2006

The amount of physical energy in the person. Someone with high energy may have difficulty sitting still, whereas one low energy can handle a very structured environment. The former may use his or her gross motor skills more frequently, such as sport or active jobs. Conversely, someone with a lower activity level may rely more on fine motor skills, such as drawing and putting puzzles together. This trait can also refer to mental activity, such as deep thinking or reading, activities which become more significant as the person matures.

Do you have to be constantly moving or doing something or do you have a relaxing approach?

ACTIVITY LEVEL

          High/Active___________________________________________Low/Inactive

Tips for Managing the Extremes

For those with very high energy:

• Heed the signals that indicate it’s time to blow off steam and find a way to do so.

• Incorporate some active time during the day. Walk instead of driving, or stop at the park/gym on the way to some other less likable activity.

• Avoid confinement, find other active things to do.

For the someone with very low energy:

• Allow enough time for tasks and activities.

• Use a timer to set a goal for when a chore should be finished.

• Reward yourself for sticking with a project and completing it in a timely fashion.

Reference: Wikipedia

Photocredit: Nevin Taylor 2008

Mood refers to the general tendency towards a happy or unhappy demeanor. Everyone has a variety of emotions and reactions that are the opposite of each other such as cheerful and stormy, happy and unhappy. Each person biologically tends have generally positive or negative mood.  A baby who may smile and coo all the time could be considered a cheerful baby. Whereas a baby who cries or is fussy all the time may be considered a stormy baby.

Do you express a positive or negative outlook?

MOOD

Sunny/Cheerful___________________________________________Stormy

Tips for Managing the Extremes

For people who tend to be negative:

• Try to ignore general negative mood, but tune in to real distress.
• Encourage them to recognize and talk about the things that make them happy.
• Act as a role model for positive social interactions.

For those who are always positive:

• Be sensitive to subtle signs of unhappiness that they may be bottling up inside.
• Explore Teach appropriate ways to express feelings of sadness, anger, fear, and frustration.

Reference: Wikipedia

Photocredit: Nevin Taylor 2008

Temperament

In this series of articles we will explore the 9 characteristics of temperament, and provide a way of rating yourself on each characteristics and look at ways to manage the extremes of those characteristics.

Temperament is thought to be genetically based. The combination of temperament and our environment leads to formation of our personalities. Temperamental traits are thought to persist into adulthood. It is useful to know about these traits as they may give us some insight into our behaviours as well as those around us.

The New York Longitudinal Study by Thomas and Chess focused on how temperamental qualities influence adjustment throughout life. Young infants were rated on nine temperament characteristics. Each by itself, or in connection to another affects how well a child fits in at school, with their friends, and at home.

Behaviors for each of these traits are on a continuum. A child can lean towards the high or low end of the scale and while this is typical, it could also be a cause for concern.

The specific behaviors are listed below with a Visual Analog Scale for rating your temperamental characteristics.

Nine Temperament Characteristics or Traits

ACTIVITY LEVEL

The amount of physical energy in the person. Do they have to be constantly moving or do they have a relaxing approach?

REGULARITY LEVEL

This is also known as Rhythmicity and refers to the level of predictability in biological functions such as waking, becoming tired, hunger and bowel movements.

INITIAL REACTION

This is also known as Approach or Withdrawal. This refers to how you respond to new people or environments either positive or negative.

ADAPTABILITY

Adaptability refers to how long it takes to adjust to change. This is different from the Initial Reaction. Adaptability refers to the long term adjustment made after the first reaction to the new situation.

INTENSITY

Intensity refers to the energy level of a positive or negative response.

MOOD

Mood refers to the general tendency towards a happy or unhappy demeanor. Everyone has a variety of emotions and reactions that are the opposite of each other such as cheerful and stormy, happy and unhappy. Each person biologically tends have generally positive or negative mood.

DISTRACTIBILITY

Distractibility refers to the tendency to be sidetracked by other things going on around you.

PERSISTENCE & ATTENTION SPAN

Persistence & Attention Span refers to the ability to stay with a task through frustrations and the length of time on the task.

SENSITIVITY

Sensitivity refers to how easily you are disturbed by changes in their environment. It is also referred to as Sensory Threshold or threshold of responsiveness.