The purpose of this study was to examine the temperament of children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A separate profile analysis was performed on each of the temperament scales of the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children Parent and Teacher Forms (Martin, 1988). The results demonstrated that parents and teachers rate the temperament of children classified as ADHD and normal children differently. In addition, parents and teachers tended to be consistent in their ratings of children classified as ADHD, resulting in similar profile patterns on each form of the TABC. Therefore, children with ADHD appear to display similar patterns of temperament at home and at school. Parents and teachers both reported that children classified as ADHD tended to display temperaments with high activity levels, high distractibility, and low persistence, which is consistent with the ADHD diagnostic criteria.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Barkley, R. A. (1981). Hyperactive children: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment. New York: Guilford Press.
3.
Barkley, R. A. (1989). Attention deficithy-peractivity disorder. In E. J. Marsh & R. A. Barkley (Eds.), Treatment of childhood disorders (pp. 39-72). New York: Guilford Press.
4.
Bates, J. E., & Bayles, K. (1984). Objective and subjective components in mothers' perceptions of their children from age 6 months to 3 years. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 30, 111-130.
5.
Blackman, J. A., Westervelt, V. D., & Stevenson, R. (1991). Management of preschool children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 11, 91-104.
6.
Buss, A. H., & Plomin, R. (1975). A temperament theory of personality development. New York: Wiley-Interscience.
7.
Buss, A. H., & Plomin, R. (1984). Temperament: Early developing personality traits. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
8.
Cameron, J. R. (1978). Parental treatment, children's temperament, and the risk of childhood behavior problems. Initial temperament, parental attitudes, and the incidence and form of behavioral problems. American Journal of Orthopsychology, 110, 651-661.
9.
Carey, W. B. (1972). Clinical application of infant temperament measurements. Journal of Pediatrics, 81, 823-828.
10.
Carey, W. B. (1974). Night waking and temperament in infancy. Journal of Pediatrics, 84, 756-758.
11.
Carey, W. B. (1986). Clinical interventions of temperament: Transitions from infancy to childhood. In R. Plomin & J. Dunn (Eds.), The study of temperament: Changes, continuities, and challenges (pp. 151-162). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
12.
DeStefano, L., Wang, M. C., & Gordon, E. W. (1985, April). An analysis of individual differences in student temperament characteristics and the implications for classroom processes and outcomes. In M. C. Wang (Ed.), Temperament and school learning. Paper presented at a symposium at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 267 078)
13.
Frick, P. J., & Lahey, B. B. (1991). The nature and characteristics of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. School Psychology Review, 20, 163-173.
14.
Garrison, W. T., & Earls, F. J. (1987). Temperament of child psychology. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
15.
Glass, G. V., McGraw, B., & Smith, M. L. (1981). Meta analysis in social research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
16.
Goldsmith, H. H., & Rieser-Danner, L. A. (1990). Assessing early temperament. In L. R. Reynolds & R. W. Kamphaus (Eds.), Handbook of psychological and educational assessment of children: Personality, behavior, and context (pp. 245-278). New York: Guilford Press.
17.
Graham, P., Rutter, M., & George, S. (1973). Temperamental characteristics as predictors of behavior disorders in children. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 43, 328-339.
18.
Hynd, L. W., Hern, K. L., Voeller, K. K., & Marshall, R. M. (1991). Neurobiological basis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). School Psychology Review, 20, 174-186.
19.
Jordon, D. R. (1988). Attention deficit disorder: ADD Syndrome. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.
20.
Kauffman, J. M. (1989). Characteristics of behavior disorders of children and youth (4th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.
21.
Lee, C., & Bates, J. (1985). Mother-child interaction at age two years and perceived difficult temperament. Child Development, 56, 1314-1326.
22.
Lerner, R. M., Palermo, M., Sprio, A., & Nesselroade, J. R. (1982). Assessing the dimensions of temperamental individuality across the life span: The Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS). Child Development, 53, 149-159.
23.
Martin, R. P. (1988). The Temperament Assessment Battery for Children (manual). Brandon, VT: Clinical Psychology.
24.
Martin, R. P. (1996). Temperament. In T. K. Fagan & P. G. Warden (Eds.), Historical encyclopedia of school psychology (pp. 394-395). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
25.
Miller, D. C. (1977). Handbook of research design and social measurement (3rd ed.). New York: David McKay.
26.
Plomin, R. (1983). Childhood temperament. In B. B. Lahey & A. L. Brown (Eds.), Advances in developmental psychology (Vol. 1). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
27.
Rowe, D. C., & Plomin, R. (1977). Temperament in early childhood. Journal of Personality Assessment, 41, 150-156.
Staton, R. D., & Brumback, R. A. (1981). Non-specificity of motor hyperactivity as a diagnostic criterion. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 52, 323-332.
30.
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (1989). Using multivariate statistics (2nd ed.). New York: Harper Collins.
31.
Teglasi, H. (1987). Children and temperament. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Children's needs: Psychological perspectives (pp. 634-642). Washington, DC: National Association of School Psychologists.
32.
Thomas, A., & Chess, S. (1977). Temperament and development. New York: Bruner/Mazel.
33.
Thomas, A., & Chess, S. (1982). Temperament and follow-up to adulthood. In R. Porter & G. M. Collins (Eds.), The study of temperament: Changes, continuities, and challenges. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
34.
Thomas, A., Chess, S., & Birch, H. (1968>. Temperament and behavior disorders in children. New York: University Press.
35.
Thomas, A., Chess, S., Birch, H., Hertzig, M., & Korn, S. (1963). Behavioral individuality in early childhood. New York: New York University Press.
36.
Wender, P. H. (1987). The hyperactive child, adolescent, and adult: Attention deficit disorder through the lifespan. New York: University Press.
