Bullying in Students with Special Education Needs and Learning Difficulties: The Role of the Student–Teacher Relationship Quality and Students’ Social Status in the Peer Group

Background: Children with Special Education Needs and Learning Difficulties are at risk of being excluded, or bullied because of their impairments. Within the bullying literature, two variables have been shown to be key in terms of its predictions: student–teacher relationship and students’ social status among peers. Objective: The aim of this research was to assess the association between the student–teacher relationship and students’ social status in the peer group and bullying dimensions in children with SEN, LD, and typical development. Method: A total of 320 children—55 with LD, 46 with SEN, and 219 in the control group – participated in the study, with a mean age of 11.04 (SD = 1.42), and 59.7% of whom were male. The model tested showed a good fit: χ2 (40) = 102.395, p <.001, CFI =.940, RMSEA =.070 [90% CI =.054,.088]. Results: Main findings show that children with SEN and LD had more difficulties in social participation and might be at higher risk of being bullied, compared with their classmates. Conclusions: This study offers evidence on bullying in children with SEN and LD and its association with both relationship with teacher and students’ social status. For teachers, results highlight peculiarities and possible problems of school inclusion of children with SEN and LD. For educational researchers, findings add knowledge on literature focused on bullying in children with difficulties.