Bullying Takes Toll On Kids With Autism

Children with autism are experiencing high rates of bullying and face significant emotional consequences as a result, a new study finds.

In what’s believed to be the largest look ever at autism and bullying, researchers found that 38 percent of children with the developmental disorder were bullied over a one-month period, in many cases repeatedly. What’s more, of those who were victims, 69 percent experienced emotional trauma and 8 percent were physically harmed as a result.

The findings were published this month in a study in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. They are based on a survey of parents of more than 1,200 kids with autism from across the country.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Study: Students With Disabilities Often On Both Ends Of Bullying

Special education students are more likely than their typically developing peers to be bullied. But new evidence indicates they’re also often the ones doing the harassing.

A new study looking at over 800 students ages 9 to 16 from nine different schools finds that bullying experiences vary dramatically between special education and general education students.

And even among students with disabilities, the type of special needs a child has can further separate one student’s experience from the next, according to the study published online in the Journal of School Psychology.

Using school data on student involvement in bullying situations, researchers found that kids enrolled in special education were more likely to both perpetrate and be victims of bullying. They were also more likely to be sent to the school office for disciplinary problems than those in general education.

“These results paint a fairly bleak picture for students with disabilities in terms of bullying, victimization and disciplinary actions,” wrote Susan Swearer, a professor of school psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who led the study.

Among special education students, those with language, hearing or mental impairments exhibited the highest levels of involvement in bullying, the study found, while those with less visible conditions like learning disabilities were part of fewer incidents.

Typically developing students often experienced the most bullying in fifth grade before the behavior started to subside, but those with disabilities didn’t appear to get the same relief. Their level of bullying involvement remained constant throughout the grade levels studied, the researchers said.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Creation of Board Policy - Bullying (BP 5131.2)

From MDUSD Meeting Agenda June 25, 2012 - item 15.24

Effective July 1, 2012, AB 9 (2011) requires districts/COEs to adopt policy prohibiting gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or any other characteristic listed in Penal Code 422.55 or Education Code 220, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

Read policy document HERE.

Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs

Children with disabilities—such as physical, developmental, intellectual, emotional, and sensory disabilities—are at an increased risk of being bullied. Any number of factors— physical vulnerability, social skill challenges, or intolerant environments—may increase the risk. Research suggests that some children with disabilities may bully others as well.

Kids with special health needs, such as epilepsy or food allergies, also may be at higher risk of being bullied. Bullying can include making fun of kids because of their allergies or exposing them to the things they are allergic to. In these cases, bullying is not just serious, it can mean life or death.

Get more information at Stop Bullying.gov

Why Autistic Children Are Bullied More -- and Bully in Return

Despite the growing awareness, bullying is still common in schools these days. Some kids are bullied and some bully others. But, as a new study finds, kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have an even harder time with bullying, being many times more likely than their neurotypical siblings to have experienced it in their lifetimes. Even more disturbing, autistic kids may be intentionally triggered into having meltdowns by bullies who know how to push the right buttons. 

The new study, from Kennedy Krieger's Interactive Autism Network, surveyed families with autistic and non-autistic siblings from all over the country, asking about their experience with bullying in the past and present. 


Read more of Alice G. Walton's Forbes Women/Parenting  article HERE.

Special Education Students a Focus in "Bully"

By Guest Blogger Alyson Klein - On Special Education

Two students with Asperger syndrome—an autism spectrum disorder that can make it tough to interact in social sitatuations—are featured heavily in "Bully," the new education shock-you-mentary, opening in wide release Friday.

The film opens with the grieving parents of Tyler Long, a 17-year-old with Asperger's syndrome who committed suicide. And it closely follows Alex Libby, another student with Asperger's who was repeatedly harassed by his fellow students at a Sioux City, Iowa, middle school.

Read more HERE.

BBC video - My Autism and Me

Autistic sixth-grader suffers videotaped beating at a bus stop in Cecil County

Addressing Bullying With A Child’s IEP

From SpeakOut - Helping Families Helping Children

From Walk A Mile In Their Shoes: Bullying and the Child with Special Needs, www.Abilitypath.org

Although they may be targets, children who are bullied do not have to remain victims. With the appropriate tools and support systems in place, a child can be a part of changing the situation. One critical tool available to parents is the Individualized Education Program or IEP.

A child’s team - parents, educators, therapists and/or psychologists and school officials - should work together to make the IEP reflect the child’s unique needs.

A school psychologist may be involved in writing social-emotional goals that are measurable and relevant. Including the child in the IEP decision-making process, if appropriate, can also lead to better outcomes.

Goals for the IEP team to consider include:

• Social skills work, both individual and group
• Speech and language skills
• Self-advocacy skills
• Self-awareness and strength building skills

The following are examples of IEP goals and interventions that can directly or indirectly help address bullying issues:

• Improve social understanding by having goals focused around sharing, taking turns or thinking before acting (PACER Center, 2003). Use concrete “real world” situations. The focus of this goal should not be to teach the child to be less “teaseable,” but should be interpersonal skill building.

• Participate in a social skills group. By being given the opportunity to practice social situations, role playing, social stories and other techniques, with school peers, under adult supervision, the child may better identify and understand difficult situations when they occur. Groups such as this one can also facilitate friendships and a sense of not being alone.

• Increase self-advocacy skills so that the child can say “stop that” or walk away.

• Help the child develop and learn a brief/non-confrontational verbal response to the bully. Practice both direct and indirect ways to react to, handle or avoid bullying behavior

• Speech and language goals should be set with the help of a speech and language specialist. These goals should focus on articulation, speech intelligibility and language pragmatics.

• Increase the child’s self-awareness about their disability. Learning their strengths and feeling proud of who they are and their accomplishments, while also understanding how their disability may impact them, particularly in social situations, is often important.

• Help the child identify bullying as well as how and to whom to report it. Keep in mind that some children may have a difficult time determining that they are a target of bullying behavior.

• Goals that help educate the child on the difference between reporting an incident and ratting /tattling as well as identifying the difference between playful teasing and hurtful teasing/bullying may be needed.

• Teach the child a signal system to use when in need of friend or adult intervention.

• Identify and facilitate a relationship with a school staff person who can help the child make reports of incidents and who will provide the child with additional intervention and support.

• If social situations are impeding the child’s ability to access their education, then it must be appropriately remedied. Being the target of bullying can bring some children’s social needs into sharper focus. In addition to new goals, a new assessment may be appropriate.

Other supports, accommodations and strategies for the IEP team to consider are as follows:

• Monitor and supervise unstructured time. Increase hallway, bathroom, lunchroom and playground monitoring by staff. Adult monitored “safe zones” or having an adult ‘shadow’ the child during these times is sometimes necessary.

• Educate the staff and other students about the child’s assistive technology, 1:1 aide, interpreter and other items that are ‘different.’ Create a better understanding of the child’s disability and the necessary support that go with it with staff.

• Avoid certain situations or locations that can be ‘loaded’ for a student.

• Keep the child away from the bully, or the bully away from the child, until things are resolved.

• Consider seating the student away from students who might tend to bully. Remember, that being proactive can prevent incidents from occurring in the first place.

• Allow the child to leave class early to avoid hallway incidents.

• Take recess or lunch in a different setting, but still with some peers.

• Consider keeping the child from highly charged competitive situations.

• Designate a peer buddy or have the classroom teacher foster a friendship between the child and a ‘safe’ child. A classroom with cooperative learning activities is one mechanism to facilitate positive social interactions.

• Set-up regular appointments with the school’s psychologist, or another “safe” person on the campus, with whom your child can ‘check-in’ as an outlet, allow for classroom breaks (either in or out of the classroom).

The ideas outlined above come from Walk A Mile In Their Shoes: Bullying and the Child with Special Needs which is a comprehensive, 65 page resource published by AbilityPath.org. AbilityPath.org interviewed experts, educators and parents regarding bullying. The result was this useful report and guide that shares important information not only about bullying and the IEP but many other tips including:

• The Targets: Why children with special needs are frequent targets
• The Signs: What every parent should know about bullying
• The Cyberbully: Bullying in the age of Facebook and YouTube
• The Law: Parents’ rights in combatting bullying
• The Call To Action: What each of us can do to Disable Bullying

Download the full Walk A Mile In Their Shoes: Bullying and the Child with Special Needs report.

Bullying: What Parents Can Do to Protect and Support Their Child

Mean, cruel and/or bullying behavior is a problem in many schools in the United States -- in urban, suburban, and rural areas. And, it can also take place outside of school. Unfortunately, children who have learning disabilities (LD) are especially vulnerable to it.

In support of National Bullying Prevention Month this October, guest expert, Jonathan Cohen, Co-Founder and President of The National School Climate Center (NSCC), will discuss:


Signs that your child may be bullied (or may be bullying others)
Steps parents can take if they suspect their child is being targeted
How parents can work with the school to address the problem
How to help a child cope with verbal, physical, or emotional insults

See transcripts HERE.

Students With Disabilities, Health Issues Bullied More Often

By Nirvi Shah from On Special Education

Students with disabilities or health problems are more likely to be the target of bullies than their classmates, according to a study published this month in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Researchers found that "children with special health-care needs had lower motivation to do well in school, more disruptive behaviors, and more frequent experiences as a bully victim. They experienced significantly lower academic achievement, as measured by grades, standardized testing, and parental-assessed academic performance."

The study involved 1,457 4th, 5th, and 6th graders in two rural Maryland counties and one rural West Virginia county.

Students with special health care needs were more afraid of other girls and boys than students without a disability, but they were also slightly more likely to have attacked someone else at school or tell someone they would hurt them.

As part of the solution to these issues, the researchers suggested schools use anti-bullying programs—which many do, (and bullying has been the focus of much attention from the federal government lately, too), providing in-school mental health counseling, and referring students to community services if their needs can't be met in school.

And, they said, schools should provide a continuum of mental health care that connects families, primary medical care, communities, and schools.

"Unfortunately," the authors said, "there are few examples of such comprehensive, co-ordinated, and linked school-community initiatives."

However, one small school district in Minnesota said this week it will put mental health counselors in all 15 of its schools, in part because the district found that nonacademic issues, including depression and family upheaval, were affecting how students did in school.

"In addition to specific academic interventions, schools should provide abundant opportunities for children with a (health issue or disability) to develop confidence in their ability to learn and succeed in school, choose educational experiences that they value, and develop positive interpersonal relationships at school," the study authors concluded.

But they said the well-being and academic performance of these students is a joint responsibility of schools and the medical community.

"Health and school professionals will need to work together to identify these children much earlier, ensure that they receive appropriate supports and services, and monitor the effectiveness of services on children's health and school outcomes."

Article HERE.

California School Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

From the California Department of Education NEWS RELEASE

SACRAMENTO -- The California Department of Education (CDE) today issues this week's Education Roundup featuring education-related announcements of public interest.

California School Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 22 introduced by Assembly Member Ben Hueso (D-Chula Vista) is proposing that March be California School Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Almost 35 percent of youth in the nation are involved in bullying each year, either as a perpetrator or victim. About 8 percent of pupils in kindergarten through grade 12 miss at least one day of school every month due to a fear of being bullied. Bullying may take many forms, including verbal, physical, and psychological abuse, and can happen in many places on and off school grounds, as well as through electronic means. Students with special needs are especially vulnerable and are at greater risk of experiencing bullying on a daily basis.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Torlakson urges everyone to recognize that, "Bullying is not acceptable behavior, and schools must strive every day to make the environment safe and secure for all students."

The CDE adopted in 2001 a policy on bullying prevention designed to help students, parents, and school staff develop a coordinated, systemic approach to bullying prevention. For more information on bullying prevention, go to Bullying and Hate-Motivated Behavior Prevention - School Environment.

Read the complete NEWS RELEASE HERE.

Bullying and Hate-Motivated Behavior Prevention

Provides resources for parents, administrators, and students on how bullying can be prevented and addressed. Resources include publications, sample policies, and frequently asked questions.

See the California Department of Education document HERE.

Fair and Appropriate, But Not Bully-Free

The possibility of bullying—even for a student with disabilities—isn't enough to warrant a transfer to another school, a Pennsylvania federal court judge ruled in February.

Read Nirvi Shah's On Special Education article HERE.

Students With Disabilities Often Targeted by Bullies

By Nirvi Shah from On Special Education

A new report based on interviews and statistics concludes that children who are especially vulnerable to bullies, kids with disabilities, have few resources to deal with the problem.

The report, which includes testimonials from parents and students, provides a few heart-breaking glimpses into the taunts and terrors faced by children with a variety of exceptionalities. In one case, classmates of a boy with cerebral palsy tied the arms of his sweatshirt to a fence. They watched as he struggled to break free and put pictures of the episode on Facebook.

While 45 states have adopted laws related to bullying in the last five years, the report notes, few address the bullying of students with special needs in particular. California schools chief Tom Torlakson told the Bay Area News Group he wants to work with legislators on ways to incorporate special-needs concerns into existing anti-bullying legislation.

Compiling research from a number of sources, the report concludes that children with disabilities are more likely to be bullied for a variety of reasons, but in particular, they may become easily frustrated, which makes them stand out; students with developmental disabilities may have difficulty paying attention to more than one piece of information and may get "stuck" in a conversation, making it difficult to make friends; children with motor skill difficulties may be the target of teasing on the playground or classroom because they can't do the same age-appropriate things—like kicking a ball or coloring in the lines—as peers; they carry special devices that make other kids view them as "weird."

The report said that all studies found that children with disabilities were two to three times more likely to be victims of bullying than their nondisabled peers. It offers steps parents can take, and recommends Social and Emotional Learning curricula, like one used in Illinois schools, to address the problem.

AbilityPath.org, which provides an online community for professionals and parents of children with special needs and is led by a California nonprofit that provides services for people with disabilities, offers several ways to address the issue, including sharing your stories at the AbilityPath.org blog, joining a campaign to end use of the R word—retard—and posting a video of Glee actor Lauren Potter, who has Down syndrome, on Facebook.

See Article HERE.

Education key to stop the bullies

SCHOOL students should be educated about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to reduce the rate of bullying of children with the developmental disorder, a leading academic says.

Flinders University Associate Professor Verity Bottroff said ASD children who were bullied were at higher risk of developing depression or committing suicide.

Read more of Kym Morgan's article (May '09) HERE

Parent Talks: Bullies, Preschools & More

By Jackie Burrell from aPARENTly Speaking

Tots to Teens: Reducing Bullying, Raising Ethical Kids
January 30 from 7 to 8 a.m. on 98.1 KISS-FM, and streamed live and archived on Childhoodmatters.org
Join Rona Renner and guests Barbara Coloroso, author of five bestsellers, including “The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander, and Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet, from Parents Place on the Peninsula, as they discuss ways to teach children to act with integrity, civility and compassion.

Read complete article HERE.

New Federal Guidance Addresses Anti-Disability Bullying

by Christina Samuels from On Special Education. Read HERE.

Back to School = Back to Bullying

Here is an article from Shelley Hendrix Reynolds from the Huffington Post:
Back to school for some children means back to being bullied despite a school's anti-bullying, no tolerance policy. Kids are masters at getting in mean digs and shoves hoping to get a rise out of their fellow classmates when adults aren't looking. Children with exceptionalities, including autism, are more vulnerable to abusers. MORE

Block the Bullies

A nine year old student with Tourette syndrome has started an anti bullying website.

View the the CBS video HERE.
Read the story HERE.
View the website HERE.
There is an Internet Safety Presentation at Pleasant Hill Middle School on Thursday.