Abstract
The teacher-child relationship fulfils critical functions for the well being of the child, affecting emotive development, academic achievements, behavioral conducts and relationships with peers. The goal of the presented study is to compare the perceptions of the class teacher and of the support teacher concerning their relationship with subjects with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD; N=14; Mean age =90.07 months; SD=19.36) and with children of the control group (4 classmates per every subject of the experimental group, for a total of 56 pupils, Mean age = 80.36 months; SD=18.33). The perception by the teacher of the class, concerning the relationship with children with ASD, is characterized by higher levels of Conflict, and lower levels of Closeness, if compared with perceptions about the relationship with children of the control group (Conflict: t=-3.317; df= 14.931; p<0.01; Closeness: t= 5.638; df = 65; p < 0.001). The perception of the two teachers only correlates with regards to the Conflict dimension (r=0.769; p < 0.01). In reference to the child's adaptive skills only the social skills scale correlates with the Closeness. This is true in the perception of the support teacher (r=0.598; p<0.05). Finally, we take into account how the perception of the relationship relates with the socio-personal and professional data of the teachers and with the social features of the children.
Highlights
Medición cualitativa de la interacción profesor-alumno en el trastorno de autismo
Relationships with typically developing children are perceived by the class teacher as being averagely good, featuring low Conflict and Dependency levels and high Closeness levels. Such perception differs from the one concerning the relationship with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) children in a statistically significant way
The relationship with autistic spectrum disorder children is characterized by higher Conflict levels (t= -3.317; DF=14.931; p
Summary
Medición cualitativa de la interacción profesor-alumno en el trastorno de autismo. La relación profesor-alumno tiene un rol fundamental para el bienestar del alumno repercutiendo sobre el desarrollo emocional, los logros académicos, el comportamiento y las relaciones con los compañeros. Class teachers acknowledge that they are not adequately trained to provide the correct support for this kind of pupils (Robertson, Chamberlain & Kasari, 2003) This issue has been partly addressed by establishing the role of the support teacher. Some authors underline that children with ASD have poor and sometimes insubstantial achievements deriving from the direct action of the support teacher (Howes, 2003; Blatchford et al, 2009a) They point out that the support teacher's presence in the classroom may reduce the class. This second teacher would be in a subordinate position, if compared to the class teacher, despite of having a postgraduate qualification. Morewood (2009) argues that, in order to allow the support teachers to operate effective interventions on the pupils entrusted to their care, it is crucial that their colleagues and the school head respect the support teachers' role and recognize their educational action
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
