A Comparative Study of Social Prejudice Towards typically Developing School Children and Children with Sen. Suggestions for Buffering Maladaptive Effects DEMETER KÁRMEN 1 Abstract In this study we aim to evaluate and compare the social context of ac- ceptance and rejection of typically developing and children with a label of special educational needs SEN. Our purpose was to discover the strengths which could be used to support children with SEN, and the weaknesses (in- appropriate behaviour, influential factors, social and psychological causes) which need to be considered in order to buffer and prevent the negative consequences of rejection and prejudicial attitude. By revising and compar- ing the literature of rejection and prejudice on typically developing and chil- dren labelled with SEN, we concluded that the latter are different from typi- cally developing peers on some aspects of the causes and primary conse- quences of rejection. However, secondary and long term consequences are similar for typical and disabled children. Effective buffering techniques and strategies used in child social psychology are presented. Keywords social acceptance, social rejection, children with SEN, prejudicial attitudes, consequences of rejection, buffering factors. Introduction Children with special educational needs (SEN) all named the children with learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn or ac- cess education than most children of the same age. They need extra or differ- ent help compared to children of the same age (DfES, 2006 in Westwood, 2007). 1. Ph.D. Department of Applied Psychology, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Correspondence: karmen.demeter@ubbcluj.ro;