New Year, New Me, New Bullies
Hello! This month we are tackling a hard topic to discuss
but one that you hear about almost daily in our schools: bullying. Now some of
you may have rolled your eyes already because this IS something you have heard
over and over again.
BUT…did you know that students with disabilities are
statistically more likely to be bullied than their average peers? If your
student has a disability and is in a mainstream class, the percentage is even
higher! That is scary! Why do you think that is? Some studies show that
students who have obvious differences (speech impediments, different classroom
materials such as braille or large print, a long cane, poor social skills) are
more likely to be picked on because bullies see them as ‘easy targets’.
Of course, there are some that say we are hyper focused on
bullying, and that has resulted in every negative behavior being labeled as a
bullying type action. Look, I get it, kids will be kids every now and then.
Sometimes you’ve got to tell your student or child at home to be like Elsa….and
LET IT GO. Other times, there is a need for a serious conversation, possible
intervention and healing process.
At this point, we all know how to identify bullying
behaviors. If you are not, please see the link below from StopBullying.gov:
You and your student or child should be well versed in how
to report bullying to your school administration. If you feel that is an area
of weakness, bring it up during your IEP meeting. Chances are, if your student
is being bullied, it IS affecting their educational performance, participation
in the general education classroom and progress on IEP goals.
A great way to prevent bullying is fostering strong self-advocacy
skills within your child. This is not limited to letting the teacher know they
need materials in braille or cannot see the board work. Self-advocacy can extend
into their social lives and having this skill will help them stand up to
bullies or feel comfortable reporting it to the proper adults. With October
being Disability Awareness Month, it might be a good time to re-educate the
school about what your child’s disability is, how it affects their performance
day to day, and how to understand it.
I have listed some additional resource links below if you’d
like to continue to read about bullying prevention!
Comments