Kids with learning disabilities and other special needs are especially vulnerable to bullying. That's usually because their differences - academic struggles, social skills deficits, etc. - make them different, and being different makes them a target. Is it any wonder that kids with LDs are also more susceptible to anxiety and depression?
The National Center for Learning Disabilities is currently focusing on bullying and its impact on kids with LDs. Here's a great article they recently published looking at bullying and LD.
The Bridgeway team
The Truth about Bullying and LD
|By Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D. |
Published: February 17 2012
|It’s hard to assign a number to describe the incidence of bullying — data from different sources report different findings — but one thing is certain; the deeper you dig, the clearer it becomes that the prevalence of bullying is staggering. * |
And how about these findings?
Whether the number is 10% or 75%, the message is clear: bullying is widespread, often goes unnoticed, and can have immediate and long-lasting consequences.
And what about students with learning disabilities?
Are children with LD at special risk for being harassed, bullied, or intimidated? Consider the following:
Some might agree that these are examples of bullying behavior, and others might say that they describe how individuals with LD often suffer from the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” The reality is that all students are vulnerable to the negative impact of bullying, and students with dyslexia and specific learning disabilities, AD/HD and other disorders that impact learning and behavior are indeed at special risk. They are often vulnerable by virtue of their having low self-esteem triggered by low achievement. They might see themselves as outsiders in their peer groups and often have trouble making and keeping friends because their need for special types of intervention, accommodations and support are misunderstood.
What can parents and other concerned adults do to diffuse the powerful negative impact of bullying?
Don’t wait for bullying to present as a problem. Assume it is happening, assume that students are at risk, that teachers and other school personnel are either unaware or incapable of dealing with this problem alone, and that it’s just a matter of time before someone close to you is effected by bullying. Parents need to know that their comments and complaints about bullying (to children, other parents, and school personnel) are taken seriously and they should not hold back sharing information in fear of retribution or ostracism.
Punishing the bully is not the answer. Pointing a finger at the perpetrator doing the bullying may seem like a feel-good answer to the problem, but it is only the tip of the iceberg and will likely not change the person’s behavior. The underlying problem has much more to do with how each person, in school, at home, and in the community appreciates diversity. Whether a person has big ears or long legs, whether they have light skin or dark features, whether they are athletic of klutzy, outgoing or reserved, or whether they are accelerated learners or have special learning needs, the ways that we talk about these differences and the underlying value we place upon these individuals needs to be clear: everyone is deserving of respect. Period. No exceptions.
Provide support for everyone involved. No single approach to preventing or stopping bullying is recommended for all situations, but a number of options have been found to be effective. They include:
What can parents do? The best advice is to follow your heart…. and stop bullying from claiming your child as its next victim.
*The statistics cited come from a variety of sources:
55 Facts about Bullying; References and Resources from StopBullying.gov; Walk a Mile in their Shoes: Bullying and the Child with Special Needs; and Bullying Statistics.