3-107 - Risk and Protective Effects of Teacher-Child Relationships for Children with Symptoms of Developmental and Attachment Disorders

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Despite a growing recognition of the influence of teacher-child relationships (TCR) on children’s development (Hughes, 2012; Roorda et al., 2011), there is a paucity of research that has examined the importance of TCR among children with developmental problems and special educational needs. As a consequence, it is largely unknown to what extent the development of children with developmental problems is related to and can be influenced by the quality of the TCR. To address this issue, this symposium brings together research from 3 different countries focusing on the link between TCR and different developmental problems including communication impairments, attachment problems, and externalizing problems. Study 1 examines the longitudinal development of TCR and school adjustment outcomes among children with and without communication impairments in a large, representative sample of kindergarten children in Australia. Study 2 focuses on the protective effects of TCR on the social-behavioral and school development of children with symptoms of reactive attachment disorder in special education schools in Belgium. Study 3 examines the importance of TCR for the school adjustment of youth with severe externalizing problems in special education schools in the Netherlands. The symposium brings together developmental scientists from around the world including Australia, Europe, and the USA. The discussant will integrate the results from the different studies and discuss the theoretical and practical relevance of the findings for children and youth with different developmental problems and special educational needs.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Chairs

• Jantine Liedewij Spilt, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

• Karine Verschueren, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Discussant

• Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Individual Presentations

• Communication Impairment and Teacher-Child Relationship Trajectories: Associations with Academic and Social Outcomes at Age 12-13 - Presenting Author: Linda J Harrison, Charles Sturt University; Cen (Audrey) Wang, Charles Sturt University; Sharynne McLeod, Charles Sturt University; Susan Walker, Queensland Univ of Technology

• The Effects of Teacher-Child Relationships on the Social and Behavioral Adjustment of Children with Attachment Disorder Symptoms - Jantine Liedewij Spilt, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven; Eleonora Vervoort, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven; Guy Bosmans, University of Leuven; Presenting Author: Karine Verschueren, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

• The Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships on the Academic Adjustment of Youth With Severe Levels of Externalizing Behavior - Presenting Author: Debora L. Roorda, Universiteit Van Amsterdam; Helma M.Y. Koomen, University of Amsterdam; Kelly Simon, University of Amsterdam