Difficult Temperaments, Children With

Children are born with certain characteristics that influence how they respond to their environment and the people in their world. These traits, often referred to as temperament, are the cornerstones of a child’s personality and will determine how the child approaches and responds to the world around him or her. This entry explains what is meant by the term difficult temperament and discusses strategies that can be used to support children with difficult temperaments.

Temperament can be determined by observing a child’s behavior. There are three categories traditionally used to describe a child’s temperament: easy, slow-to-warm up, and difficult. A child described as easy will be able to go into different settings without getting anxious or upset, whereas a child described as difficult might cry and ...