Understanding Your Child's Temperament

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating insight into children's behavior
Review: Even though I am only an aunt to two children - and not a parent - I found that this book provides valuable information for anyone dealing with children. Dr. Carey dispells the myth that babies and children are 'blank slates' that can be regulated, scheduled and expected to behave in certain ways. One of the most heartening aspects of the book is that Dr. Carey shows both the "positive" and "negative" aspects of each type of termperament he identifies, avoiding completely the categorizing of any sort of personality as 'problematic.'

His argument against the use of Ritalin is very persuasive, as so many of the children prescribed the drug are actually exhibiting behaviors that are within the range of "normal." Parents having "trouble" dealing with their child's behavior would learn a great deal from this book, particularly how modifying their own actions can influence an individual child's "fit" with his or her environment.

The writing is quite accessible, with concrete examples to illustrate the key points and strategies that can be applied when dealing with children. I've recommended this book to several of my friends and colleagues with children, and they have all found it thoroughly useful and informative. And I, merely as a party interested in behavior and children, found it an accessible and fascinating book that taught me a great deal about how to deal with my own niece and nephew!

Rating:
Summary: Not as helpful as other books out there
Review: I found the descriptions of the personality types good, but the practical advice in how to deal with those types and specifically the combinations of types lacking.
I went back and read some of my other child development books and found they not only had a lot of the same information, but much more practical advice in how to deal with them. Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's Kids, Parents, and Power Struggles is a terrific one. The information on the temperament types is more brief, but again, you can get the gyst pretty easily, and the practical side is much richer... and that, for me, was more important. In addition, the Power Struggles book also covers the parent's personality type and how to work your temperament WITH your child's and know where the danger zones are.

Rating:
Summary: temperment analysis is a powerful tool to figure out a child
Review: this temperment approach makes sense of a lot of my two children's behavior over the last few (9 &5) years. I've seen way too many children on ridelin and agree with the author that temperment has to be considered before we start doping up our kids with speed to make them temporarily easier to deal with. The case studies are carefully selected and get across the author's theories effectively while making the book understandable to any parent interested in children's behavier.