The Importance of Teacher-Student Relationships for Adolescents with High Incidence Disabilities

In this article the authors examine the theoretical and empirical basis of teacher-student relationships. They focus specifically on the importance of supportive teacher-student relationships in the lives of adolescents with high-incidence disabilities. Students receiving special education services in these categories are at a heightened risk of experiencing social, emotional, and mental health problems. School-based programs and practices designed to promote supportive relationships between teachers and students with disabilities have the potential to provide these students with much needed support within the contexts of schools. A number of factors that can enhance teacher-student relationships including school and classroom structures, teacher beliefs and practices, and social-emotional curricula are presented and discussed.