Another important consideration is the temperament of the child. In this article, we consider how temperament-related challenges--and the child's difficulty in communicating them--can lead to behaviour problems in groups.

The Impact of Temperament in Group Settings
The physical environment has a considerable impact on the behaviour of children of all ages. When children have temperament traits that cause them to be sensitive to sound, odor, temperature or other stimuli they may lack the insight to know this or the vocabulary to discuss it. Unable to communicate their discomfort in words, they may act out or withdraw. Some children have difficulty processing language when there is background noise and they may give up trying to understand or to respond, leading to a serious communication breakdown. When this difficulty is combined with temperament traits that are not fitting well with the group expectations, a child may become truly challenging in this setting. Some will react with intensity to others when they are stressed by environmental factors; others may withdraw and shut down. Occasional outbursts or withdrawals are not of concern. However, repeated difficulties coping will mean that a child is not 'on task' whether the activity is educational or recreational. This can lead to deficits in the important learning that comes from these activities. Secondary emotional and behavioural problems can also arise as the child experiences the consequences of not coping and not learning. Groups that are structured and predictable are nearly always easier for children to cope with. However, some bright and creative children and some children with low attention can become bored if the routines lack variety and new activities and interests. Getting the match right is difficult in groups as there are so many individual differences to accommodate. Centres and classrooms that recognise individual differences by building a blend of consistency and novelty into their programs are more likely to meet more individual needs. Groups are not static entities but dynamic, ever-changing systems that have a history in each child's mind. This history will have an impact on the way the child's expectations and responses.

Larry is a six-year old with a slow-to-warm-up temperament and asthma. He has been having a struggle to get hold of a particular favourite activity in his out-of-school care program. Last week, over a period of five days, every time he started to work on this activity, a bigger boy came over and simply stood over Larry until he gave it up. On the fifth day, Larry started to wheeze severely the minute he walked in the door of the centre and his parents had to be called to come and take him to the hospital for treatment. His caregivers would not have made the connection between the harassment and the asthma attack but for the fact that a student teacher had been in the centre. Larry was one of the children she was observing for an assignment and she noted the quiet way in which Larry simply handed over his activity to the other boy. The hospital psychologist was able to receive this useful information from the out-of-school care program. She advised the staff and Larry's parents to help him become more assertive and to be able to identify his wants and desires first of all to the adults taking care of him and then, in time, to other children. Larry's temperamental style contributed to his unassertive communication style, but slow-to-warm-up children can be taught how to stand up for their rights.

Communication is a key solution to these difficulties (but in itself will not solve everything). Adults can help children find words to describe their temperament-related responses, just as Dr. Levine advises educating children about their learning problems in the article above (Demystification--Communicating with A Child with A Learning Difference). Teachers and other group caregivers may in fact often hear such disclosures but respond to them in ways which discourage children from speaking out on their own behalf. However, the fact that a child can identify the source of personal distress does not give the child licence to do as he or she pleases or to refuse to participate in the program, as some teachers fear.

A child can be invited to suggest solutions to the problem (such as working in a quieter area), to try a compensatory method (such as chunking a complex learning task) or even just to 'deal' with the problem, depending on the situation. A lot of stress can be reduced simply by hearing some validation. "I know waiting for your turn on the trampoline is boring for you, Alan. But Nicole has only three minutes left. Hang in there." This type of statement does not have to be extremely warm and empathic. A firm response can be both reassuring to a child in a group setting and effective in maintaining disciplinary control. In other situations, though, it is as important to accommodate to the child with the temperament issue as it to the child with a hearing-impairment or a physical disability.

When one or two children are having temperament-related challenges in groups, their resulting behaviour can overwhelm peers and teachers. Often, simple solutions that go against traditional teacher training or unthinking policy can make a huge difference to both the children involved and the whole climate of the setting. We invite teachers and others who work with children in groups to write and share with our readings the solutions they have found to temperament-related challenges in their settings.

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