Clinical Implications of Temperamental Characteristics in Young Children with Developmental Disabilities

Temperament refers to the behavioral style of an individual, or the tendency to behave in a certain way in a certain situation. Although temperament has been studied extensively in typically developing children, relatively little research concerning individual differences in the behavioral styles of young children with developmental disabilities has been conducted. The purposes of this article are: (1) to provide a brief review of the literature with regard to temperament and outcomes for children with developmental disabilities and, (2) to explore methods for integrating temperament information into early intervention practice. Consistent with the research on temperament and goodness of fit (Chess & Thomas, 1996), this article proposes that children with developmental disabilities who present with extreme scores in specific domains of temperament may benefit from specific early intervention practices. Ideas for linking practice with child temperament are presented, particularly for children who are resistant to change, non-persistent, or difficult to distract.