DISCLAIMER
Information disseminated by Autism South Africa is for information purposes only.
The onus rests with the reader to explore and investigate the relevant information and alternatives for each individual.
Information disseminated by Autism South Africa is for information purposes only.
The onus rests with the reader to explore and investigate the relevant information and alternatives for each individual.
Information sent out does not imply that Autism South Africa underwrites or endorses any particular therapy, intervention, method or medication. Autism South Africa assumes no responsibility for the use made of any information provided herein.
Bullying and ASD
On April 20, 1999, two boys at Columbine High School in Colorado went on a shooting spree and killed twelve students and themselves. Because these boys were victims of bullying, all kinds of academic studies resulting in all kinds of new recommendations for school policies against bullying are now in place. Most schools have a "zero tolerance" of bullying, fighting, violence and disability harassment. If students do these things, they are automatically suspended or expelled.
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, disability harassment is against the law in all schools, school districts, and colleges and universities that receive public funds. Handicapped children who are bullied or harassed have legal rights to grievance procedures and due process on the local level; they can also file complaints with the Office of Civil Rights.
Nevertheless, in spite of all these laws and policies, the National Education Association estimates that every seven minutes of every school day, a child is a victim of bullying, and 85% of the time there is no intervention by other students or adults. Your child's school may have anti-bullying policies that do
What is bullying
Bullying is similar to harassment. It is when one person, or a group of people, intentionally cause harm to someone else and behave in a way that is deliberately offensive and unkind towards them. For example, a bully might make jokes about an individual's disability, or make rude remarks about someone's sexual orientation. A person could be bullying in the way they speak to you, in their words and their manner (for example, verbal harassment) and the things that they do to you (for example, physical assault). They may also be a bully in other more subtle ways, such as forcing or manipulating you to do things, leaving you out of activities, or saying unkind words about you when you are not there.
Bullying: a guide for parents
Home >Living with autism >Education >Primary and secondary school >Your child: at school >Bullying: a guide for parents
A child with autism can be at more risk of being bullied than their peers. However, they may not be able to communicate this to you. In this section, we explain the term bullying, the signs to look out for if your child is being bullied, but cannot communicate it to you, and how it might affect your child.
As well as perhaps being bullied at school, your child may experience cyberbullying - a new form of bullying via the internet and mobile phones.
Exploring Bullying with Adults with Autism and Asperger Syndrome is the new workbook by Anna Tickle, a clinical psychologist, and Bettina Stott, who after many years working in the field is currently studying towards her MA in Autism.
Here, Anna and Bettina answer some questions about their new book.
Tell us about this project – how did you come to write this book?
We were running a self-esteem group for adults with autism in Surrey as a joint project between the National Autistic Society and the local NHS Community Learning Disability Team. It quickly became clear that bullying was a major issue for many individuals with autism spectrum disorder, in their adult lives as well as during childhood. Bullying had had a major impact on the group members’ self-esteem. Individual disclosures amongst group members of bullying experiences, confusion around what bullying is, and feelings of anger and guilt prompted us to look for resources but we found very little for adults. Initially we worked with the group to make their own workbook around bullying, which then formed the basis of our book. Through our experiences of working with other groups and individuals with ASD we felt that a book such as this could be beneficial to many more people with ASD.
Aggressive & Bullying Behavior in an Autistic Child
By Lisa Pulsifer, eHow Contributor updated: April 01, 2010
Kids with autism often have trouble learning appropriate social behavior.
Kids with autism have difficulty interacting socially and communicating. These two problems can quickly lead to aggression and bullying when around other children.
Identification
Kids with autism have problems understanding social cues such as facial expressions and tone of voice. This makes social interaction very difficult and may result in aggression or bullying.
Autism Therapy: Preventing Bullying
Every day there’s a new story in the paper, in the news about a child with special needs being bullied on the playground, in the halls of school, etc. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it first hand with my own children. The lack of social skills makes children with autism a particularly easy target of bullies. Kids with autism are usually loners. They don’t want to tattle on the bully for fear of ridicule, embarrassment or retaliation. With proper social skills autism therapy, autism education, and autism information, a child with autism can become less of a target for bullying.
Why Children and Teens Bully Others
Bullying in children and teens seems to be a way for them to gain attention, respect, or power. If they get away with it, the pattern tends to grow
Identifying Bullying Behavior in Children and Teens
Bullying is not the same as fighting, "horseplay," teasing, or other appearances of conflict between children or teens. Bullying has four conditions:
Bullies have unequal power over their targets. They are bigger, more influential, have group backing, or some other advantage over the target person.
Bullies intend to harm, humiliate, or embarrass their targets.
Bullies repeat their bullying behavior.
Bullies appear "matter-of-fact" about their attack, while the victims appear rather upset.
It is helpful to view bullying as group behavior. A group may participate in actually bullying a victim or a group of bystanders may tolerate the bullying--also supporting the bullying behavior.
Bullying is not always physical, especially among girls. A bully may assemble a group of girls or boys to target a person and systematically humiliate, isolate, or embarrass the victim. In fact, part of bullying is picking a target and then isolating the person by making fun of the person, starting rumors, or other behavior. Often bullies will target a child who is already isolated or not fully accepted by others.
Bullying behavior, if not stopped during childhood, can progress into adulthood--into the workplace. Bullies can move into positions of authority because they are willing to destroy the reputation of potential competitors. In the workplace, they can become powerful sources of distrust, fear, and dysfunctional behavior.
Bullying and ASD
Being the victim of a childhood bully can have a lasting impact, including depression and diminished socioeconomic status, into adulthood. 1,2,3 Many adults who were once victims of bullying vividly recall the feelings of intimidation, the sometimes-daily battering of self-esteem. Many also recall the hands-off attitude that used to be common among teachers, principals, and other adults. Fortunately, bullying, which was once considered a normal and unavoidable part of the schoolyard landscape, is now viewed as a much more serious matter.
The issue of bullying may be particularly worrisome for parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this article, we will explore how children with ASD are particularly at risk of becoming victims of bullying. We will also discuss how they may act out in a way that leads to their being identified as bullies. In either case, parents, teachers, and school staff need to know how to help them through the difficulties involved.
What Is Bullying?
Bullying can take many forms. It can be verbal, involving threats or derogatory remarks. It can be physical or behavioral, as when a bully hits, pushes, steals a victim's lunch, or holds his nose every time the victim enters a room. It can also be relational, as when a child is deliberately excluded from social events, or vicious rumors about a child are intentionally spread. It can be conducted in traditional style, on playground, in classroom, and in cafeteria, or via text message and Facebook -- the new and insidious "cyber-bullying."
