Children often face adverse or traumatic events, such as abuse, school problems, loss of loved ones, or parental divorce. These experiences significantly increase the risk of developing disorders such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. For children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), the situation is even more complex than for children with Typical Development (TD) due to motor, linguistic, cognitive, and socio-emotional challenges during their development, as well as awareness of their own difficulties. Among school and social settings, children with NDD more frequently find adversities such as bullying or isolation, because of their primary difficulties in the different areas of development (e.g. joint attention, communication or socio-cognitive skills). The existence of these barriers stresses the importance of developing strategies that enable them to adapt and overcome these challenges.

In this context, resilience is defined as the ability to adapt positively to adversity, manage stress, and develop personal and social strengths. This skill allows children to recover from difficult situations, set clear goals, solve problems, and interact respectfully with others. Despite its importance, currently there are few tools specifically designed to assess resilience in primary school children (aged from 6 to 12), and none of them are designed considering the specific needs of children with NDD (e.g. incorporating visual support for the items).

To address this gap, the RES-PRIM instrument was developed. It is a tool designed to assess resilience in children with both TD and NDD aged from 6 to 12 (primary school stage). RES-PRIM measures two main factors: on one hand, Individual Protective Factors, which includes dimensions such as empathy/prosociality, social skills, self-esteem, introspection/emotional self-awareness, problem-solving, and a sense of purpose or future; and on the other hand, Contextual Protective Factors, which includes peer support, support from adults within the family environment, and support from adults within the school environment. Each item of the tool is presented with a picture of the situation described to facilitate comprehension, especially for children with NDD, who often struggle with linguistic understanding and cognitive barriers (e.g. difficulty imagining a situation from a written sentence).

A sample of 128 children aged 6 to 12 was assessed with RES-PRIM, consisting of 64 children with TD and 64 with NDD. The results showed significant differences in resilience levels between the two groups, with lower levels of both individual and contextual factors in children with NDD.

These findings highlight the importance of fostering resilience strategies adapted to the specific needs of children with NDD, particularly in school settings, where they often face higher levels of social and academic stress. Understanding the differences in resilience and stress perception between children with TD and NDD is crucial for designing effective group-based and individual interventions to promote academic success and better quality of life. These interventions can strengthen skills to face challenges positively, helping children adapt and thrive even in adverse conditions.

Keywords: Assessment tool, resilience, individual and contextual protective factors, primary education, neurodevelopmental disorders, typical development.