Peer relations: The challenges of children with special needs

Abstract

Children with special needs, due to the greater likelihood of developing a disorder in one or more areas of their development, and due to the obstacles they may find in the context, can have their social performance compromised, which can entail consequences in short and in long term. It is, therefore, essential to know the factors that may influence the development of their peer related social competence. Only then can the caregivers play an active role in order to increase the chances of stimulating these competencies. This review addresses the perspectives of different authors about the social development of children with their peers. It is at the convergence of each of these perspectives that one can find the complementarity needed to effectively understand the dynamism and the inter-relational characteristics inherent to social competence.