title: Student-Teacher Relationships for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Risk and Protective Factors.
abstract: The quality of early student-teacher relationships (STRs) has been shown to predict children's school adjustment, and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk for poor quality STRs. The present study examined 162 children with ASD (ages 4-7) and their teachers to evaluate student, teacher, and classroom characteristics that predicted concurrent and prospective STR quality across one school year. Child oppositional behavior, autism severity and teacher degree predicted changes in student-teacher conflict over a 1-year period, while child social skills and IQ positively predicted change in student-teacher closeness. Teacher preparedness, trainings in ASD, and classroom setting were unrelated to STR quality. Implications for intervention are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951580, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1580, USA. barbara.caplan@ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0563-5411
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Caplan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, 02125, USA.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, 02125, USA.
authors.forename: Abbey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eisenhower
authors.affiliation: Department of Education, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blacher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004519:Education, Special; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D065840:Protective Factors; D000070777:School Teachers / Q000523:psychology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D066107:Social Skills; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Autism; Behavior problems; Psychopathology; Social skills; Student–teacher relationships