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Student–Teacher Relationships for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Risk and Protective Factors

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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.

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Acknowledgments

This paper was derived from a longitudinal project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (R324A110086; J. Blacher, P.I.). Support was also provided by the SEARCH Family Autism Resource Center in the Graduate School of Education, UC Riverside. We are indebted to our colleagues and students as well as the children, parents, and teachers who participated in this research.

Author Contributions

BC conceived of the study, conducted statistical analyses and drafted the manuscript; MF co-drafted the manuscript and participated in the design and interpretation of the data; AE and JB provided consultation regarding the design of the study, the selection and interpretation of statistical analyses, and manuscript revision. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This project was funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (R324A110086; J. Blacher, P.I.). Support was also provided by the SEARCH Family Autism Resource Center in the Graduate School of Education, UC Riverside

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951580, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1580, USA

    Barbara Caplan

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, 02125, USA

    Melanie Feldman & Abbey Eisenhower

  3. Department of Education, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Jan Blacher

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  1. Barbara Caplan
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  2. Melanie Feldman
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  4. Jan Blacher
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Correspondence to Barbara Caplan.

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Caplan, B., Feldman, M., Eisenhower, A. et al. Student–Teacher Relationships for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Risk and Protective Factors. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 3653–3666 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2915-1

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