Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-115). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Language is the way in which individuals are able to express ideas, feelings, needs, expectations, and form relationships with others in their surrounding environment. A disruption in language development may negatively impact a child's social development. Research shows that children with language delays or disorders tend to have increased social and behavioral difficulties (Cantwell & Baker, 1977; Caulfield, Fischel, DeBaryshe, & Whitehurst, 1989). However, research has not examined temperament differences in young children with language delays or disorders. The question this study sought to answer was: Is there a significant difference in the dimensions of temperament between children with a history of slow expressive language development and their peers with normal language development? The subjects in this study ranged in age from 64 to 74 months. They included 33 children with a history of slow expressive language development (SELD) and 27 children with normal language development. The temperamental characteristics of each of the subjects was assessed by ratings provided by their parents, utilizing the Parent Temperament Questionnaire for Children (Thomas, Chess, & Korn, 1977), a questionnaire to assess the way a child behaves during everyday situations. The question was analyzed by calculating the means and standard deviations for the nine temperament dimensions for· the two groups. To determine if there were significant differences among the two groups, two tailed t-tests were computed at the .05 level of significance. The Parent Temperament Questionnaire for Children (Thomas et al., 1977) showed the children with a history of slow expressive language development to have significantly different scores in the dimensions of approach-withdrawal and intensity of reaction than the subjects with normal language development at 5 years of age.

Many young children develop language over a broad range of ages yet present as having normal language development. When language development lags behind what is considered a normal time line, it is important to consider the various factors that may contribute to the delay in development. The purpose of the current study was to examine various aspects of temperament among three groups of children with varying language histories. The specific question to be answered was, do significant differences occur on parent and clinician questionnaires of temperament among three groups of first grade children demonstrating varying levels of language development: those with normal language (NL), those with a history of expressive language delay (HELD), and those with chronic expressive language delay (ELD)? Subjects for this study included 23 subjects in the NL group, 22 subjects in the HELD group, and 6 subjects in the ELD group. The groups were compared utilizing the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children (TABC) on six variables of temperament on Parent Forms and five variables of temperament on Clinician Forms. The data were analyzed to see if significant differences existed among the language diagnostic groups. On the Parent Forms, a trend towards low approach/withdrawal characteristics was observed between the NL and ELD groups. On the Clinician Forms, a significant difference was observed on the variable, approach/withdrawal, between the NL group and HELD group. Both parametric and non-parametric analyses were in agreement on this finding. The suggestion that low approach/withdrawal tendencies exist within late talking children may be the long term result of interaction between expressive language delayed children and the communication environment. These results must be viewed tentatively because the sample groups were of unequal numbers. If all diagnostic groups had been of equivalent size, the results may have been yielded stronger significance.

The aim of this study was to design a Gestalt guideline to assist the Grade R teacher to identify, understand and manage the temperamental patterns of the Grade R child enabling optimal adjustment of the child. Intervention research (Design and Development model of Rothman & Thomas) as phase model was partly used as method for this study. A qualitative approach was followed during data collection. The needs and concerns in relation to temperament and temperamental patterns were explored through semi-structured interviews with 12 Grade R teachers. The identified problems were analyzed and in order to address the problems, information was gathered through relevant literature and consulting with professionals. Functional elements of successful models were identified and used in the Gestalt guideline. The study concludes at Phase 4 by designing a Gestalt guideline as preliminary intervention for the Grade R teachers. The Gestalt approach was used as cornerstone for the guideline. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie))

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-87). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

The aim of this study was to design a Gestalt guideline to assist the Grade R teacher to identify, understand and manage the temperamental patterns of the Grade R child enabling optimal adjustment of the child. Intervention research (Design and Development model of Rothman & Thomas) as phase model was partly used as method for this study. A qualitative approach was followed during data collection. The needs and concerns in relation to temperament and temperamental patterns were explored through semi-structured interviews with 12 Grade R teachers. The identified problems were analyzed and in order to address the problems, information was gathered through relevant literature and consulting with professionals. Functional elements of successful models were identified and used in the Gestalt guideline. The study concludes at Phase 4 by designing a Gestalt guideline as preliminary intervention for the Grade R teachers. The Gestalt approach was used as cornerstone for the guideline. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie))

The aim of this study was to explore temperament, psychopathology and quality of life (QOL) in adolescents born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW), i.e., < 1000g. ELBW adolescents (N = 15) completed the Revised Cheek and Buss Scale and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0.0 (M.I.N.I.), while their legal guardians completed a biographical questionnaire and the Short Form 12 version 2. The median age of the sample was 13 SD = 2.526 years (60% male) and all participants spoke English. ELBW adolescents with social phobia (n = 6) were more shy (p = .041) and had poorer mental health-related QOL (p = .041) than those without such symptoms. The results suggest that ELBW could be a predisposing factor for increased shyness and psychological disorders including social phobia. Planning of interventions for ELBW individuals should therefore include strategies to prevent or mitigate the effects of these factors in adolescence / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

The aim of this study was to explore temperament, psychopathology and quality of life (QOL) in adolescents born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW), i.e., < 1000g. ELBW adolescents (N = 15) completed the Revised Cheek and Buss Scale and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0.0 (M.I.N.I.), while their legal guardians completed a biographical questionnaire and the Short Form 12 version 2. The median age of the sample was 13 SD = 2.526 years (60% male) and all participants spoke English. ELBW adolescents with social phobia (n = 6) were more shy (p = .041) and had poorer mental health-related QOL (p = .041) than those without such symptoms. The results suggest that ELBW could be a predisposing factor for increased shyness and psychological disorders including social phobia. Planning of interventions for ELBW individuals should therefore include strategies to prevent or mitigate the effects of these factors in adolescence / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

The mother-child relationship is the first basic relationship with which any human being is confronted. The temperaments of mother and child play an important role in this relationship. The aim of this study is to explore the perception of mothers with regards to temperaments. This study uses a qualitative approach, which is explorative and descriptive, to gain insight into the influence of temperaments in the mother-child relationship. Seven mothers were selected by purposeful sampling to participate in the group work as research process. Group work progresses through the following three phases: awareness, exploration and personalisation. Naive sketches were used to determine the perception of the mothers during the awareness and personalisation phases. A focus group interview was utilised in the exploration phase. Finding showed that the mother-child relationship plays an important role in the optimal development of the child and his or her mother. This study confirmed the importance of understanding temperaments in the mother-child relationship. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance & Counseling)

Interactional and contextual models have been conceptually proposed in understanding parental influences on children. Yet, empirical model testing has been limited. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the direct and indirect effects of parenting style on child social competence using structural equation modeling in a sample of 544 Chinese families with 6-9 years old children, mainly singleton, residing in Nanjing, China. Five latent models were tested: (a) the direct model between parenting style and child social competence, (b) child temperament as a moderator, (c) parent-child relationship as a mediator, (d) the interaction model between parenting style and family functioning, and (e) bidirectional models of parenting style concurrently with parent-child relationship, and family functioning predicting child social competence. Findings showed: (a) The direct relationship between parenting style and child social competence was significant in both parents with authoritative parenting style on the positive direction, whereas authoritarian and permissive parenting styles on the negative direction; (b) child temperament did not moderate parenting style on child social competence; (c) father-child relationship mediated paternal parenting style on child social competence, whereas maternal parenting style did not; (d) family functioning neither moderated nor mediated the relationship between parenting style and child social competence for both parents; and (e) The four-factor prediction models on child social competence turned out to be unidirectional. For the mothers, the best model was from family functioning to mother-child relationship, to maternal parenting style, and finally to child social competence. Maternal parenting style was the significant proximal factor. For the fathers, it was from family functioning to paternal parenting style, to father-child relationship, and then to child social competence. Father-child relationship had the direct impact, whereas the influence of paternal parenting style was distal through father-child relationship. Findings from this study suggest that the Chinese parents should use more authoritative and less authoritarian and permissive parenting, and develop good parent-child relationships in the daily interactions with their children. Future studies need to use larger and better data to validate these models, or to extend the findings with other important child variables to explore the child's active agency.