Debbie Cazares AN INVESTIGATION OF TEMPERAMENT, GOODNESS OF FIT, AND BEHAVIOR IN INFANT AND TODDLER CLASSROOMS

Case Study Five children between the ages of 6 and 30 months participated in the study, along with seven of their teachers. All children attended the Child Development Center at Riverside City College.

The Children

The First Child - The first child is an infant who had a very difficult time separating from her mother after drop-off in the morning. She would become easily upset and cry until she was picked up. Her crying would intensify to the point that she would begin to shake and sweat. When new people entered the room, she would cry as well. Two teachers worked with her, and both found that their temperaments differed from hers on the adaptability and approachability traits.

Adaptations to Achieve Goodness of Fit During the first few weeks, there were numerous changes in staff, and the stream of new faces was particularly difficult for this infant. Staffing changes were minimized and the same aides were present in the room every day. The teachers decided to spend extra time holding the child and keeping her close to them in the morning. They would only gradually place her on the floor and move away after she showed interest in a toy or activity. The teachers also decided to make an effort to describe their actions and what will be happening next to give the child some time to adapt to the new activity.

The Outcome A month later, the teachers reported that much of the crying had stopped. The child still had a bit of a difficult time separating from mother, but calmed down once she became involved in an activity. A few weeks later, the child started crawling and was moved to the mobile infant classroom. For the first days of her move, her former teacher went into the new classroom with her to help with the transition. The teachers in there continued the routines set up in the original classroom and the crying behavior subsided.

The Second Child The second child is a toddler who became easily upset and started hitting himself when the teacher would make a request of him such as asking him to clean up an activity or to use the toilet. The teacher found that her temperament differed from the child in the areas of distractibility (the child was easily distracted), regularity (the child was regular), and approachability (the child was less approachable).

Adaptations to Achieve Goodness of Fit The teacher decided to focus on the regular times that the child tended to use the bathroom and set up the schedule so that she would only ask him to use the toilet then. She also implemented the use of sand timers to give advance notice of clean up and transition times.

The Outcome The teacher was successful at setting up a consistent daily routine for the child that included times to use the toilet. She found that the child adapted very well to the routine and that she does not need to remind the child to use the toilet as often. Using the sand timers as advance warning of changes has helped the child’s need for consistency and the hitting behavior has decreased.

The Third Child The third child is a toddler who would cry when a request was made of her, or would bite other children when she appeared frustrated or overwhelmed. Two teachers worked with her and both found they differed from her temperament on distractibility (the child was easily distracted), regularity (the child was spontaneous), sensitivity (the child was highly sensitive), and adaptability (the child was less adaptable). One teacher left the center during the project, the second teacher implemented the changes.

Adaptations to Achieve Goodness of Fit The child particularly enjoys the home living center in the classroom. Problems would arise when other children would want to play there as well and would get too close to the child. She would then sometimes react by biting the child who was too close. The teacher rearranged the classroom so the home center was larger and easier to access (addressing the sensitivity and adaptability traits). The teacher also limited the number of children in the center so the child would not feel crowded.

Adaptations to Achieve Goodness of Fit The most difficult times for the child were transitions (particularly transitioning back into the classroom after outside time, and transitioning from nap time to snack). The teacher addressed the child’s distractibility by limiting the number of choices presented and by giving simple step-by- step directions during transition. During nap time, the teacher decided to let the child sleep a bit longer than the other children, and then wake her after most of the other children had moved outside for snack. The child was then able to take as long as she needed to wake up and decide when she was ready to have the teacher put on her shoes (this addressed the regularity trait by allowing the child to proceed on her own schedule).

The Outcome The teacher found that letting the child sleep a bit longer so she could take her time getting up after nap, and rearranging the classroom, had very positive effects on the child’s behavior and that the biting episodes have pretty much ceased. The teacher makes an effort to recognize when the child shows early signs of frustration so that she can address the situation before it escalates.

The Fourth Child Child number 4 is a toddler who would seek physical contact with the teacher when other children were close by, or during transition times when the noise level in the room tended to increase. When the physical contact was not possible at that moment, the child became very upset. The teacher found that her temperament differs from the child’s on the intensity (the child is more intense), sensitivity (the child is highly sensitive) and adaptability (the child is less adaptable) traits.

Adaptations to Achieve Goodness of Fit To address the sensitivity and adaptability traits, the teacher set up a comfortable, quiet area in the classroom with pillows where the child can go at anytime. If another adult is able to take over the class, the teacher will sit with the child in the quiet area and read a book or play a quiet game.

Adaptations to Achieve Goodness of Fit The teacher also made a soft squishy bag with glitter in it that the child can hold and play with (to address the sensitivity trait). The sensory experience of feeling the bag and being able to squeeze it helps the child calm down when she is upset. The child knows where it is kept and can get it when she needs it on her own.

The Outcome The teacher has been working with the child for about a month and has found that the child will often go to the quiet area of the classroom on her own when she needs some time away from the group. The teacher has been making an effort to help the child verbalize why she is upset by modeling the words to use, and has noticed an increase in the child using her words to express herself when she needs the teacher’s attention.

The Fifth Child The last child is a toddler who would hit other children when they got too close to her, or if they tried to play in the same area. She would also react to a new person by withdrawing to a corner of the room. If someone tried to approach her at that time, she reacted by hitting. The teacher found that her temperament differs from the child’s on the sensitivity (the child is highly sensitive), approachability (the child is less approachable) and adaptability (the child is less adaptable) traits.

Adaptations to Achieve Goodness of Fit To address the sensitivity and adaptability traits, the teacher made a feelings chart that the child can use to indicate how she is feeling at a particular time. The chart is available in the classroom and the child is encouraged to use it to express herself.

Adaptations to Achieve Goodness of Fit The teacher also made a book that illustrates different positive things the child can do with her hands (such as wave, greet others, hold toys) to discourage the hitting behavior. When the child appears upset, the teacher takes the child to a quiet spot in the room to read the book together.

The Outcome All of the children in the class enjoy using the feeling chart, so the teacher incorporates it into the group “circle” time on a regular basis. She has noticed that all of the children in the class have become more willing to use their words to describe how they feel (even if it’s just a one or two word phrase). The child still has difficulty when something unexpected happens (such as when the teacher is absent or they can’t go outside due to the weather), but she is not hitting as often and will call the teacher’s attention to her when she is using her hands in a positive way.