1. Bullying and the SpecialEducation Student BY LYNN BLACKMAN-PRADO

2. Overview The aim of the education field is to enable students to leadsatisfying lives despite their disabilities. Bullying hamperstheir ability to do so 3. Overview Students with medical, cognitive, learning or psychological disabilities frequently draw attention of bullies because they have readily identifiable features that differentiate them from their peers (Rose et al., 2011, p. 122) Students with special needs are at increased risk of victimization (Twyman et al., 2010, p.195) 4. Bullying involves repeated harmful physical, verbal, psychological, sexual, orelectronic media acts. (Dempsey et al., 2009) ThatBecause of Threaten Size of bully Insult Strength of bully Dehumanize Being outnumbered by several Intimidate another individual bullieswho cannot properly defend Being less psychologicallyhimself or herselfresilient than bullies 5. Effects of Bullying Children who experiencebullying across multiple yearsmay be more at risk fordeveloping psychological andphysical disorders than thosewho experience limitedbullying Bullying undermines a childsfundamental right to learn ina safe school environment Bullying can result inirreparable harm to the victim 6. Survey of Bullying and Victimization Rates(Rose et al., 2011)Students withoutStudents withStudents with disabilities disabilities indisabilities ininclusiveself-contained settingssettingsBully 10.2%Bully 15.6%Bully 20.9%Victim 12.0% Victim 18.5% Victim 21.7% 7. Bullying and the Special Education Student Being a member of a special needs group means being in asituationally less powerful group Features that make students with special needs targets forharassment include: Physical deformities Walking problems, including walking slower and unsteady gait Reading problems Speech and communication problems Hyperactivity Ritualistic behaviors Use of assistive technology such as audio books, phonetic software,communication devices, switches and screen magnifiers 8. Effective Strategies Teachers Can Use to Counteract Bullying Model desired attitudes and behaviors Foster student-shared responsibility for the classrooms social and physical environment Establish and communicate rules and sanctions regarding bullying Apply classroom rules fairly and consistently Identify and intervene upon undesirable attitudes and behaviors that could be gatewaybehaviors to bullying Manage time and task so that students remain connected and productive and less likelyto engage in undesirable behaviors Teach students how to ask for help and how to report cruelty, bullying, and harassment Respond to requests for help Refer critical bullying cases to appropriate sources of support 9. Summary The consequences of bullying may be worse for the student withpreexisting mental and physical health conditions than those withoutthese conditions. Bullying may interfere with a students compliancewith treatment regimens. Students may view school as a place tonormalize their lives and bullying makes schools less desirable andeven places to be avoided. Students may amplify those aspects of theircondition that make them feel different from others if they are teased orbullied and therefore they may feel further isolated and under morestress. At a minimum a schools responsibilities include making surethat the victim and their families know how to report any subsequentproblems and conducting following-up inquiries to see if there havebeen any new incidents or any instance of retaliation. 10. Resources Dempsey, A.; Sulkowski, M.; Nichols, R.; Storch, E. (2009). DifferencesBetween Peer Victimization in Cyber and Physical Settings andAssociated Psychosocial Adjustment in Early Adolescence. Psychologyin the Schools, 46, 125-136. Twyman, K; Saylor, C.; Adam, L.; Comeax, C. (2010). ComparingChildren and Adolescents Engaged in Cyber bullying to Matched Peers.Pubmed, 13(2), 195-199.Rose, C.; Monda-Mmaya, L.; Espelage, D. (2011). BullyingPerpetration and Victimization in Special Education: A Review of theLiterature. Remedial and Special Education, 32(2), 114-123.