Show Children Are Different 1 Johnny cries a lot wont won't eat regularly sleeps infrequently infrequently infrequently and is extremely ac ac- ac- ac tive Johnnys Johnny's mother cant can't understand why and begins to think that she's a bad mother BOBBY HARDLY e ever eve v e r cries eats at regular intervals sleeps most of the time and plays contentedly when awake His mother is proud of her good baby and thinks that she must be a great mother Both mothers are probably wrong according to Dr Arnold J. J of the University of Rochester New York DR SAl is studying ways of measuring the personalities personalities personalities per per- of newborn infants with the aid of a mental health research grant from HEWs HEW's National Institute of Mental Health He is finding that infants have differing individualities even at birth Tl THIS S MEANS Dr says that Johnny was probably just born that way and if his mother realized this fact it may help her to adjust and andrear andrear andrear rear her child accordingly The mother of Bobby is probably simply lucky that her child acts as he docs does In a psychological testing laboratory next to the nursery at the University hospital Dr Sam croff measures babies' babies temperaments temperaments temperaments tem tem- by observing their activity excitability and sleeping sleeping sleeping sleep sleep- ing and eating cycles HE Tl THINKS that prenatal influences may be related to temperament and notes that anxious mothers may have excitable babies This may result he feels from the fact that anxious mothers usually have a more difficult labor which may have some influence in producing Johnnys Johnny's excessive activity DR trying to measure e is also new learning abi ability ity He lie Heing newbornS newbornS' rs is 1 finding tea find ing that babies babus do S not ly learn anything ra radicals ac act actUal j. j in the first three days Of new Sf life but that they do become efficient eaters move movers more more S hearers and ana In measuring ada adaptability Dr has fo found d fi thai that child 58 a less than a da dacan day old can learn to suck at a c car tain taro rate in in order to get the maximum amount of fo fOOd i iS and can remember a tone that he has heard before THROUGH THIS and o other research supported by bv fee iS the Center for Studies es n of t Child and Family ly Mental Health scientists are but surely gathering sloWly inform a tion that can an be t tested ested and put to use for children so sols as to promote their mental men tai health and prevent or ameliorate rn m men tal illness r |