By three to four years of age the number of referrals for difficult behavior rises (Weiss & Hechtman, 1987). This is most likely because of society's expectations for this age child, which rise and exceed the ability of a
By three to four years of age the number of referrals for difficult behavior rises (Weiss & Hechtman, 1987). This is most likely because of society's expectations for this age child, which rise and exceed the ability of a difficult child to conform to the expected norm. It is also the time when the mother encounters community rejection of her child's behavior-e.g., in the neighborhood, play group, or preschool. Certainly the widespread publicity about children with behavioral difficulties in the lay press may also account for these referrals.
To avoid the negative effect of labeling a child, some authors have described these children by other names. Although the names are different, the characteristics are similar and so is the recommended handling of these children. Linda Budd, a St. Paul, Minnesota, psychologist and family therapist, has described and studied the "Active/Alert" child (Boyd, 1988). She says these children are "movers and shakers," but they are not hyperactive.
Active/Alert children can sit still for an activity such as television which interests them, but may have difficulty settling down for sleep. These children are alert to all the sights and sounds around them and have difficulty screening out what is not important. They have no sense of boundaries for themselves or others. Budd recommends consistent routines and the establishment of firm rules. The group of children that she has studied are also described as very bright, perhaps gifted. However, they may have learning differences in reading and may be more auditory than visual learners.
Randy Lee Comfort, Ph.D., Social Worker and Director of the Learning Place in Denver, Colorado, describes a child who experiences learning and living difficulties as the "Unconventional Child" (Comfort, 1992) These are children who learn, behave, think, react, and play differently from most of their peers. These children do everything that other children do, but with greater intensity, more erratically, and with more inconsistency. They are able to concentrate on a task for only a few minutes. Comfort recommends organization and structure for these children because they often feel that the daily world is not in their control.
The "Difficult Child" has been described by Dr. Stanley Turecki, M.D. (Turecki & Tonner, 1985). This is a child with a high activity level whom he prefers to call "difficult" so as to consider the total child. Activity level, according to Turecki, is just one of the nine dimensions of temperament; activity level most often gets singled out because it is the most socially visible trait. Characteristically, these children are defiant, tend to whine and complain, throw temper tantrums, are stubborn and do not listen, are loud and active, and have irregular eating and sleeping patterns. Turecki believes that even if the child's diagnosis is hyperactivity, having knowledge and understanding of temperament factors can help parents and teachers cope better and manage the child's behavior more successfully.
The nine temperament traits were first defined by Drs. Alexander Thomas, Stella Chess, and Herbert Birch of New York University in their New York longitudinal study in 1956. The traits include Activity Level, Distractibility or Perceptiveness, Persistence, Adaptability, Approach/ Withdrawal or First Reaction, Intensity, Regularity, Sensitivity, and Mood. Temperament traits are placed on a continuum from easy to difficult. The more of the traits that fall on the difficult end of the continuum, the harder it is to raise that child. Turecki's book discusses management of these children on the basis of temperament.
The "Spirited Child" is more intense, persistent, perceptive, and uncomfortable with change than other children. He or she possesses these characteristics to more depth and range than others, says Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, M.A., licensed teacher and family educator (1991). She prefers the term "spirited" because it sounds good and communicates the exciting potential of these kids. This term focuses on strengths rather than weaknesses and is not a label but a tool for understanding. Like Turecki, Kurcinka describes the spirited child using the nine dimensions of temperament. Also included in her book is a temperament scale for parents to use as a tool for comparing their own temperament style with the child's so as to understand parent-child interactions better.
Whether a child is called "Active/Alert," "Unconventional," "Difficult," or "Spirited," most would agree that sometimes a child's behavior may be outside the realm of normal behavior. At this point, the label that these authors resist may have to be ruled out. Turecki admits that the diagnostic label of Hyperactivity or Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) may be appropriate for some children who are extremely active no matter where they are (Turecki, 1985). These children virtually never sit still. Their actions are haphazard rather than goal-directed. They are always touching things, have trouble paying attention to almost anything, do not follow directions, and are always interrupting.
Kurcinka distinguishes the Spirited Child from the ADHD child when she describes the ADHD child as not being able to focus energ