Temperament and social behaviour at home and school among typically developing children and children with an intellectually disability

Abstract

There has been limited research on differences in temperament between typically developing children and children with an intellectual disability (ID). Individual differences have generally been neglected in previous investigations of children with an ID. The present research investigated differences in temperament and social behaviour between typically developing children and children with an ID, in both home and school settings. Participants were 100 children (M = 10.7 years, SD = 0.88) from both regular and special education schools. Temperament was measured using the Emotionality, Activity, Sociability (EAS) Temperament Survey for Children (parental and teacher ratings), while social behaviour was measured using the School Social Behaviour Scales, Second Edition (SSBS-2) and the Home and Community Social Behaviour Scales (HCSBS). There were minimal significant differences in temperament between the regular and special education groups. Children who attended regular schools had a significantly higher level of social competence and significantly lower level of antisocial behaviour both at home and school, when compared with children who attended special schools. The difference in social behaviour between children attending regular and special schools was attributed to the difference in intellectual ability of the two groups, as well as contextual influences of regular or special school environments.