James: Behavior Analysis June, 2015

James: Behavior Analysis June, 2015

The Children's Behavior Questionnaire has been designed to measure temperament in children aged 3 to 7 years. The CBQ assesses the following fifteen dimensions of temperament:

·       Activity Level:  Level of gross motor activity including rate and extent of locomotion.

·       Anger/Frustration:  Amount of negative affect related to interruption of ongoing tasks or goal blocking.

·       Approach: Amount of excitement and positive anticipation for expected pleasurable activities.

·       Attentional Focusing: Tendency to maintain attentional focus upon task-related channels.

·       Discomfort: Amount of negative affect related to sensory qualities of stimulation, including intensity, rate or complexity of light, movement, sound, and texture.

·       Falling Reactivity & Soothability:  Rate of recovery from peak distress, excitement, or general arousal.

·       Fear: Amount of negative affect, including unease, worry or nervousness related to anticipated pain or distress and/or potentially threatening situations.

·       High Intensity Pleasure: Amount of pleasure or enjoyment related to situations involving high stimulus intensity, rate, complexity, novelty, and incongruity.

·       Impulsivity:  Speed of response initiation.

·       Inhibitory Control: The capacity to plan and to suppress inappropriate approach responses under instructions or in novel or uncertain situations.

·       Low Intensity Pleasure:  Amount of pleasure or enjoyment related to situations involving low stimulus intensity, rate, complexity, novelty, and incongruity.

·       Perceptual Sensitivity: Amount of detection of slight, low intensity stimuli from the external environment.

·       Sadness: Amount of negative affect and lowered mood and energy related to exposure to suffering, disappointment, and object loss.

·       Shyness:Slow or inhibited approach in situations involving novelty or uncertainty.

·       Smiling & Laughter:  Amount of positive affect in response to changes in stimulus intensity, rate, complexity, and incongruity.

·      Doesn’t like change—fights it, anxious, “hates it”

·      Poor expression and understanding of feelings. Says: “I hate myself. I hate my brain. I hate you. I hate this [noun].”

·      He can tell something isn’t quite right with his brain. He says he’s dumb.

·      Massive and frequent (almost daily) explosions and fits! Especially when: asked to do something he doesn’t want to, can’t do something the first try, or is asked to stop prematurely. 10-15 minute full on fits and then instantly he’s fine.

·      “Immature” display of feelings and emotions. Baby talk. Tries painfully hard to be funny. Asks: “Was that funny?” Resorts to potty words and sounds with hopes of making someone laugh.

·      Poor sense of communication. Starts a sentence with: “Can I tell you something? Can I just ask you something?”

·      Fixates on time and schedules.

·      Either gets entirely engrossed in the moment (legos, blocks, screens) or doesn’t recognize the moment at all and is anxiously eager to move on to the next item (at Disneyland: when do we get to go see our cousins?).

·      Easily distracted and does not like to be rushed: “hates” chores, homework, piano, soccer practice and any other planned activity. He can’t just focus and get them done. Throws huge fits and tantrums when rushed and/or when chores and homework need to be done. Likes to do things on his time and gets angry when he is asked to stop before he’s ready. He does not brush his teeth, even with reminders and negative consequences.

·      He understands the technicalities of reading and has excellent decoding skills but he doesn’t “lose” himself in fictional books.  Very much a non-fiction reader.

·      Fixates on subjects, where that is all that thinks and talks about. Then he moves on and doesn’t want anything to do with (Firetrucks. Police cars. Helicopters. Aircraft carriers. Army. Titanic).

·      He’s a stickler to “the rules” and he lets people know when they are not following them to his measurement. Literal thinking and without much cushion room.

·      He’s a “later gator” at school because it takes his brain a couple of hours to do it’s thing and then prepare to be elsewhere. He has a hard time conforming to the external schedules.

·      Additionally, and with too many reminders and/or negative consequences (missed carpool and had to bike) it would still take him a good hour to get dressed, eat breakfast, and get his backpack.

·      Super messy. Messy room. Messy desk at school. Doesn’t put his clothes away. Has a hard time figuring out how to clean and/ or organize his room, toys, etc.

·      He doesn’t “hear” me. Sometimes I wonder if it is a physiological issue (allergies, ear issues) but for the most part, he just really doesn’t hear or process what I am saying to him.

·      Amazing attention span on things that HE wants to do (lego, building, engineering)

·      Hard time focusing/ transitioning his brain to group activities/ collaboration

·      He doesn’t “get” why he would do something that someone else wants to do. Extremely bossy and demanding with younger and adoring brothers who, at this point, still go along with whatever he wants to do.

·      He pouts, whines, fights against a peer who either tries to make up the rules or has their own agenda that he is expected to follow (Katelyn at “grandma camp”).

·      He’s a hitter. He hits one of his brothers on a near-daily basis.

·      Picky eater: carbs and sugars. With exception of apples, fatty meats, and carrots. Won’t touch 80% of my cooking. After giving him 10+ options that he can eat from the fridge or pantry he yells: “I don’t know what I want to eat/ nothing sounds good” and a massive 10 minute fit.

·      Nightmares: Spiders. Still our worst sleeper. Sleeps in our room a couple times a month. Wets his bed once a week and more when he’s sick. Refuses to wear pull-ups. Frustration for him.

·      As a baby: head banger, poor sleeper, night terrors

·      Needs melatonin to fall asleep at a normal bed time.

·      Does not like team sports. Overanalyzes, thinks too much and likes to do things his way.

·      Frequently says “bad” words: dang, uck; potty words

·      He’s nice, but kids don’t flock to him. He’s friendly and social, but he socially awkward, not “in sync” with others, is in his own world, tries too hard, and just doesn’t get it.

·      He loves to cuddle and talk. He could sit on me and visit with me ALL day if I’d let him. He tries to talk my ear off all day long—mostly about random lego creations. He’s thoughtful, but is typically oblivious to things occurring outside of his own brain. He says “look” at least 20 times a day.

·      He’s that kid who could talk to his teacher all day long without really saying anything (chess club: “can I just tell you something? I got 6 new Pokemon cards at recess today…..).

·      Loves introverted activities: outdoors, birds, explore new places, camp, hike, bike, swim, read.

·      Physical. Like to wrestle, chase, spinning. Sometimes at recess he plays chase with the girls.

·      Not clumsy but not coordinated. Loves to climb, bike, and swim. Does not like any ball sport.

·      Mostly a loner. His 1^st grade teacher said that he was typically alone during recess. She said that ‘she could tell something was off but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.’

·      Can’t sit still while eating. Makes loud grunting noises (ticks), bothers anyone sitting by him, and has to be touching someone the entire time. Likes best to sit by (and touching) mom.

·      Poor sense of personal space. OK as a mom—not ok as a friend.

·      Blue. Obsession. His best friend. Only one he can turn to for understanding. Still takes him in his backpack to school as his security blanket.

·      Thinks he wants everything but is never satiated (toy aisle).

·      Poor self esteem—I worry most about him being molested.

·      Serious anxiety when he had Mr. Bennet as a first grade teacher. He would wet his pants every other week. Played with his penis. Had ticks. Was super grouchy and impatient with his brothers. And wet his bed more frequently than usual. Still wets his bed 3-4 times a month (even with sensory alarm).

·      Obsessed with clocks and schedules. But doesn’t have the number awareness to read them.

·      Poor number sense, memorization, spelling.

·      Sings in one tone. Reads without tone. Coughs a lot. Allergies. Ear infections.

·      Hard time focusing and following instructions. A 5 minute math sheet takes him 20 minutes with me and simply DOES NOT get done when left up to him.

·      A pleaser. He tries uncomfortably hard to make others happy.

·      Feels down after a fun, full, exciting day.

·      Unreasonably scared of action movies, sci-fi, and loud stimulating movies. He’ll sit there, eyes glued on the screen, saying: “I don’t like this. Please turn it off.”

·      He doesn’t like to go to the movie theatre—or watch anything beyond pixar, or Babe.

·      His brain turns off when there is a TV around. It’s impossible to get anything out of him—even if it’s a painfully lame show.

·      Oblivious to fashion and hygiene. Not one single sense.

·      Does NOT take chances.

·      Zero pain tolerance.

·      Doesn’t play games: cards, candy land, scrabble—plays games extremely slowly and deliberately. Just started playing Chess but he fixates on the pawns.

·      Easily bored. Constantly wants me to entertain him. To think for him.

·      Doesn’t cry or show sadness when watching movies, listening to stories, or learning about a tragedy. Lets ALL feelings get pent up inside until he blows. I have only seen him cry, with heartbroken tears once when his favorite cousin was brutally mean and impatient with him.

·      Sometimes he notices slight changes to decorations, objects in a room; and sometimes he’ll be oblivious to them.

·      Physical needs set him off: tired, hungry, needing to use the restroom.

·      Can be unexplainably reckless on his bike—but typically is overly cautious

·      Absolutely freaks out if someone accidentally knocks down his blocks or changes his Lego creations.

·      Volume control: volume is often louder than appropriate.

·      Decompression time: today it took him 1 hour of walking, crawling on the floor, munching on pretzels and daydreaming to buckle down and focus/ think on math.

·      Right/left brain dominance issues. Writes with right, throws and kicks with left. Writes numbers and letters and sometimes words backwards.

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·      Scared to try new things because he doesn’t want to fail.

·      He’s not the charmer who runs to open a door or do something that I could obviously use help with. He doesn’t understand the concept of gift-giving being something that the person wants, not what he wants to give. Yet he tries, sometimes painfully hard.

·      Super tender, loving, thoughtful and sweet. Love cards, with baby brother. He’s my golden retriever. Smart but clueless. Underestimates his size and strength but a pleaser. Obnoxious yet the sweetest and most loving little guy.