The objective of this article was to investigate the parental support received by children directed for psychological attendance due to poor academic achievement, in comparison with children not sent to psychological attendance. Participants consisted of 60 children from 7 to 11 years of age and their mothers, selected at a psychology clinic and at school, both public ones. The support was evaluated in three domains: academic, developmental and emotional. The child was evaluated regarding his/her intelligence level, performance at school and the presence of behavior problems. In agreement with previous studies, the studied group showed lower academic and cognitive development and greater incidence academic of problems regarding behavior. The academic support did not differ among the groups. Mothers of referred children showed less developmental and emotional support, with problems in the educational practices and conflicting relationship parent-child. The results point out the need of mental health care for vulnerable children that live in an environment with little support.
Parental support; school performance; behavior problem
