Did you
know that students who have a disability are significantly more likely than
their peers without disabilities to be bullied during their school years? They are also at risk of being cyber-bullied
if they spend large amounts of time on a computer.
This blog
will focus on bullying and students who have an intellectual disability. It is important to note that many of the
students we support may not always be able to tell us if they are being bullied
at school. This is mostly due to the
fact that many may not be able to relay the information to us verbally. The student may also not know that what is
happening is actually bullying.
It is very
important to deal with this issue as early as possible or to be proactive to
prevent it from happening at all. Students
who are bullied are at risk of being depressed, suffer from anxiety and have a
lower self-esteem than peers who are not bullied. They may develop medical issues that may
cause them to miss school (stomach aches, headaches, fatigue), and may refuse
to go to school and have thoughts of suicide.
Unfortunately,
we live in a world where bullying is commonplace. Bullying occurs every 7 minutes on the playground
and every 25 minutes in the classroom.
It is important to educate children on what to do if they are victims of
bullying or if they see someone being bullied.
Research shows that most of the time, a bully will stop his/her actions
within 10 seconds if a peer intervenes or no audience is encouraging him/her.
So, what is
bullying? Bullying can be anything from
physical to emotional pain being inflicted on another. This can be seen in the form of punching,
teasing, spreading rumours, keeping students out of a certain group, “ganging
up” on someone, shoving and more. The
five most common types of bullying according to Stop A Bully is:
- - Shoving/Hitting
- - Threats/Intimidation
- - Spreading Rumours
- - Cyberbullying
What can we
as parents, teachers and support people do when a student we know is a victim
of bullying? It all starts with education.
Educate the
student about his/her disability. The
more he/she knows, the better he/she can advocate for
It’s also
important to raise the students’ self-esteem and confidence so they can defend
themselves. We can do this by practicing
appropriate responses to different types of bullying. If the student becomes confident at home,
these skills can transfer on to school and to different social situations.
We cannot
forget about educating the students who engage in bullying behavior. They need to understand what impact their
actions have on the children they are bullying and understand that there are
consequences for their actions. These
students continuously need to be monitored.
‘Bully,’ a documentary following five students who are victims of
bullying, is a great resource to use for students, parents and teachers. This powerful documentary is accompanied by a
book to combat the bullying crisis.
Parents can
speak to the school and inform themselves of prevention programs the school has
adopted. If the school has yet to adopt
a program, parents may suggest programs to the school (see below for
programs). It is also important for schools
to provide a designated person who can be there for the student when he/she
feels threatened or is being bullied.
Other
important points to remember:
-
Recognize
the signs: Always look for signs that your child is being bullied. This may not mean bruises; you may notice a change
in mood, eating habits and sleeping patterns.
Ask your child if he/she is being bullied. If he/she cannot communicate this to you
verbally, ask students you know who attend the same school or the classroom
teacher.
-
Implement
rules: Children should be safe at home and know what to do if they are being
bullied. If your child has siblings,
teach them to say a loud ‘STOP’ or put his hand in front of his/her body if
he/she does not communicate with words when the other child becomes too rough. These skills learned at home can transfer to
school when it is happening with a bully.
-
Get
support: It can be difficult to deal with these issues on your own. Make sure you have someone to talk to about
it, they may have great ideas to share with you!
If bullying
is happening to your son or daughter at school, you should familiarize yourself
with the Department of Education’s Policy 703 (Positive Learning and Working
Environments). This policy provides
schools with a framework to create environments that are positive for all
students.
You should
also ask the school if they have properly investigated your child’s complaints. This is important as your child may not have
shared the issue with an adult at the school.
That way, you can inform the school your child is being bullied and the
issue can move toward a resolution.
You can
also ask the school what specific actions they have taken to address the
bullying problem to ensure something is being done about it. It is important for you and the school to
know where and when the bullying takes place so that the proper supports can be
given to your child at the appropriate time and place. If the bullying was taking place on the
school bus, the school may want to put an adult on the bus while this issue is
being resolved.
Remember
that the school has a “duty of care” to all students. By not taking appropriate actions, they can be
held liable, especially if there is a negative impact on the student. A negative impact could be anything from an
effect on mental health, grades or school attendance.
The
school’s duty is to provide appropriate supports to the student who is being
bullied. The school should create a
network of support that would be available to the student during school
hours. If this problem persists, the
school should also keep moving forward by getting different leaders from the
community to come to the school to intervene and talk to the students. A bullying expert, police officer, or probation
officer could be contacted, along with other relevant community members.
Here is a small
list of programs you might want to suggest to the school your child is
attending. These programs can help with
bullying situations or can also be used as a prevention method.
Stop a Bully: Stop a Bully is a Canada-wide national
non-profit organization that provides schools and students with a safe and
anonymous bullying reporting system.
Along with increasing awareness and accountability when it comes to
bullying, it allows schools to be proactive in addressing bullying before it
happens. http://www.stopabully.ca/
Roots of Empathy: Their mission is, “to build caring, peaceful,
and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults.”
http://www.rootsofempathy.org/
Beyond the Hurt: A Canadian Red Cross program that provides
workshops to youth, adults who work with youth and parents. http://www.redcross.ca/what-we-do/violence-bullying-and-abuse-prevention
Circle of Friends: A proactive program for elementary school
students who have a harder time than others making friends. (If interested in the Circle of Friends
program, please contact NBACL for training.)
Best Buddies: A national non-profit organization which
partners students who have a disability with students who do not have a
disability based on shared interests. http://www.bestbuddies.ca/
Interested
in learning more? Barbara Coloroso,
international best-selling author and speaker will be in Fredericton on October
9th. She will be holding two workshops: one for teachers: “Teaching
with Wit and Wisdom,”and one for parents: “Parenting with Wit and Wisdom.” To
register or for more information, please click on the following link: http://www.nbacl.nb.ca/en/home-en/item/293-a-workshop-with-barbara-coloroso-kids-are-worth-it-teaching-with-wit-wisdom
