Bullying and Students With Disabilities

Strategies and Techniques to Create a Safe Learning Environment for All

Barry Edwards McNamara

• Publisher: Corwin
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781452283180
• eBook ISBN: 9781483345925
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Inclusive Education

Does your bullying policy protect all students?

A 2007 study uncovered a shocking fact: 80% of children with learning disabilities are bullied at school. As schools implement bullying policies, are they doing enough to address the unique needs of this 80%? 

Drawing on extensive studies on bullying in schools, Barry McNamara provides a research-based overview to understand bullying. Additionally, this book shows how to identify bullies and victims and implement an effective and inclusive bullying prevention program.
Readers will discover:

• What research says about bullying against students with disabilities
• How programs typically fail to serve this population
• A roadmap for an inclusive schoolwide program
• Special intervention and coping strategies

Start down the road to create an inclusive and tolerant school climate where every student feels safe and valued.

"It has long been known that students with disabilities are targets for bullying or exhibiting bullying behavior. This book provides information on how teachers, paraprofessionals and parents can address bullying with students with disabilities within the schoolwide program to meet the individual needs of the child and create a safer school environment."
— Barbara Hayhurst, Special Education Teacher
Lakevue Elementary, Nampa, ID

"Bullying of students with disabilities is often unaddressed in many schools. This book shines a light on a problem that often goes unnoticed and provides sound advice and guidance to all school-based staff."
—Mary Reeve, Educational Administrator
Gallup McKinley County Schools, NM

1

What Is Bullying?

What Is Bullying?

Bullying! Even the word conjures up uncomfortable feelings in adults today who were victims of classroom or playground teasing, taunting, or physical aggression. What may have been considered benign name-calling in the past continues to manifest itself in painful ways for those students who are victimized. This is not a typical rite of passage. Rather, it is a serious issue deserving the intervention of adults. And while prevalence figures vary greatly, 20 to 30 percent of students are involved in bullying, either as a bully or a victim (Rose, Monda-Amaya, & Espelage, 2011).

Stop Bullying Now (n.d., stopbullying.gov), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Bullying Prevention Program, defines bullying as aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. It is generally repeated over time. The tactics bullies employ can be physical, verbal, intimidation, or exclusion. This type of bullying has been referred to as tradition bullying. Unfortunately, some students use technology to bully others, which is referred to as cyberbullying. Social media, the Internet, and simple cell phones (the most frequent tool used) can become devices whereby bullies can prey on their victims.

Bullies want power and are able to select their victims with uncanny precision. They prey on children and adolescents who are unpopular or vulnerable (Olweus, 1993; Carter & Spencer, 2006). The consequences of bullying can be devastating to students and their families. The fear, anxiety, and social isolation suffered by victims of bullying can result in loss of productivity in school and unknown psychological distress. Unfortunately, it can even be fatal. In one of the early cases that was highly publicized, a seventh-grade boy fatally shot himself because he was tired of being called “fatty” and “a walking dictionary.” He shot one of his classmates to death right before he killed himself. Reportedly, his classmates said, “He was just someone to pick on.” One does not have to search long for other examples. Hardly a week goes by when there is not a report in the media of a youngster who felt he or she had no other alternative other than suicide.

For these students, school is no longer a safe haven. They are fearful on the playground and going to and from classes. Even mild forms of verbal abuse have resulted in absences from school, lower grades, and overall anxiety. On top of the short- and long-term psychological damage is the damage caused by the failure of significant adults to intervene when they witness bullying behavior. Research and anecdotal information indicates that adults view the problem differently from students (Olweus & Limber, 1999).

There is general consensus as to the components of bullying. It is repetitive, there is an imbalance of power in the relationship between the bully and the victim, and there is unequal affect. Victims typically give in rapidly to the demands of the bully. This is the case of both traditional bullying and cyberbullying, where students bully through the use of technology and social media.

Who Are the Bullies?

What type of child would willingly inflict harm on others? The research findings are not entirely clear. Many researchers feel that bullies engage in this behavior because it makes them feel important. They may be insecure people who need to make themselves feel good by making others feel bad. Bullies achieve less academically, socially, economically, and occupationally. They are essentially school and job failures. Although not everybody agrees with these findings, they clearly represent the consensus of opinion on the characteristics of bullies (Wilson, 2004).

What does seem to be unanimous is the opinion that bullies are not born that way. They learn that being physically aggressive is a way to get what they want, a way to control people. Where do they learn this? Most experts point to parents and other role models. Bullies see their parents using physical force to get their way, so they emulate them. Many parents, for a host of reasons, do not use effective parenting techniques. When parents resort to being verbally and physically aggressive with their children, they risk teaching their children that bullying is an effective way to get what you want—especially if you are bigger and stronger. The research on modeling is very clear (Bandura & Walter, 1963; Bandura, 2002). Children learn that those who are bigger and stronger can exert physical force on others. Therefore, the more the child is verbally and physically reprimanded by his or her parents, the more likely he’ll find someone more vulnerable on whom to take out his or her aggression. Moreover, most bullies remain bullies throughout their lives. It becomes a vicious cycle—bullies have children that they bully, and their children become highly aggressive and bully others. Some experts suggest that bullies also learn their behavior from inappropriate role models on television or in the movies. There is considerable debate over the effects of violence on television and in the movies on children’s behavior. However, for children who are in homes where the parents are aggressive, this can only serve to reinforce this bullying type of behavior pattern (Drake, Pryce, & Telljohann, 2003). There are suggestions in the research that there are temperamental differences in children that make them prone to be bullies (Olweus, 2003). However, this is far outweighed by the other factors mentioned.

Bullies do not outgrow this behavior—it appears to be a characteristic that continues throughout adulthood. And, as they progress through the adult years, they are more likely to be involved with the criminal justice system, having more arrests and more convictions and tending to be more abusive to their spouses. The seriousness of the problem demands policy changes in schools (Young, Ne’eman, & Gelser, 2011).

Who Are the Victims?

Many of us have been in situations where we felt we were bullied. Infrequent, episodic experiences with a bully do not constitute victimization. However, that feeling that we experience may help us to identify with those children who must deal with bullies on a daily basis.

There are two types of victims: passive and provocative (Olweus, 1993). The passive victim is physically weak and doesn’t fight back, whereas the provocative victim is more restless and irritable and frequently teases and picks on others. Many children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) fall into this latter category. This type of victim appears to have poor impulse control, acts out, and then becomes a victim.

Consider Emily. She was an easy target. Diagnosed with ADHD, she was impulsive and hyperactive. She would frequently say exactly what was on her mind without any filtering. She did not mean to hurt people’s feelings; she just could not help herself. Her parents did all the right things; she received counseling, received special education services in a resource room, and was on medication. Yet, it was readily apparent that her classmates did not accept her. They would tease her and taunt her and knew exactly how to get her upset. Frequently, due to her impulsivity, she would initiate the negative reaction. For example, she would tell another student, “Your hair looks terrible.” The student would often respond, “Well, I think your sneakers are ugly,” and Emily would cry. Her teachers would tell her that, if she did not start it, it would not end up this way—if she would only learn to “think before you talk.” Many of her teachers felt Emily was a bully, saying hurtful things to her classmates. This is understandable. However, she is a classic provocative victim. And while these victims represent a small percentage of victims overall, they are most often students with disabilities.

You know these students. They engage in behaviors that annoy others (children and adults), tend to be irritable and restless, and maintain the conflict even when it is clear they’ve lost. That is one simple way to distinguish between bullies and provocative victims; they rarely come out on top. As noted earlier, there is an imbalance of power in the bully–victim relationship, and while this may not be readily apparent with provocative victims, it is here. I observed a student on the playground during recess who was critical of other students’ abilities. During a kickball game, he told one classmate that “you can’t kick,” and the student replied, “I can’t kick? You never get on base. Ever!” Joey cried and found a paraprofessional who was on the playground to complain to about the student who was “picking on” him. The paraprofessional knew Joey well. He did this every day. She dismissed his complaint and said, “If you just keep quiet, everything will be OK.” That was the problem. Joey was impulsive and lacked social skills. He could not keep quiet. This made it nearly impossible to get along with others. However, he never intended to hurt anyone, never won a conflict, and did not understand the consequences of his behavior. Joey, diagnosed with ADHD, was a student with a learning disability and was a provocative victim who needed help. Unlike passive victims, it is hard for others to feel sorry for provocative victims. They feel that they bring it on themselves.

Victims tend to be weaker than bullies. They are also anxious and insecure children who tend to have poor social skills. These behaviors tend to set them apart from other youngsters in their classes, playgroups, or camps. Additionally, most victims have a difficult time making friends and sustaining friendships.

Not surprisingly, many victims are not motivated and lack an interest in school. And schools are where the majority of bullying incidents occur. Imagine what it would be like if you were constantly worrying about what someone might do to you. What if you were never quite sure when you turned a corner in the school or entered the lunchroom or went onto the playground if someone would be waiting to pick on you? All of your energy would be focused on the bullying, and therefore, school would not be an enjoyable place.

Victims also have disruptive academic performances due to constant bullying. They may develop school phobia and, therefore, have frequent absences. Many victims avoid the lunchroom because they are preyed upon by bullies who will force them to give them their lunch money or their food. Even at the time of day when most children can relax and get a break from academics, victims are troubled.

Michael, a third grader, is an example of this problem. He was bullied every day during lunchtime by the same child. This child would gather Michael’s classmates around him on the playground and tease him about his physical appearance or clothing or being a “baby.” Michael was not an aggressive child and had difficulty defending himself.

Victims are nonaggressive. They avoid confrontation at all costs and may cry when attacked. The bully identifies the victim, and the victim readily gives in to the demands of the bully, thereby making bullying very rewarding. These passive children are not able to deal with conflict in a productive way.

Victims’ parents tend to be overprotective, and therefore, the children don’t have many opportunities to practice conflict resolution. The low self-esteem, fear, and anxiety are reinforced so frequently that the pattern is difficult to break. Over time, victims begin to believe that they deserve this mistreatment. They lack the skills necessary to combat the problem and can become hopeless and even suicidal. The longer-term psychological effects of being bullied can be devastating (Will & Neufield, 2002; Carter & Spencer, 2006).

Schools and Bullying

Schools must do something about bullying. Most bullying occurs to students in transit to and from school and in the unstructured, unsupervised areas in and around schools. However, some victims cannot escape when they leave school through cruel e-mails and texts or the use of social media. Children report that they are called names when they wait for the school bus; some are jostled and have lunch taken away from them on the way to school; and others report that their lockers are broken into, lunch money stolen, and belongings destroyed. Students report that they eat alone because no one will sit with them. And when they go to recess, they stay in an isolated section of the schoolyard. These isolated sections of playgrounds, schoolyards, and hallways in schools become fertile ground for physical abuse of victims by bullies.

Many victims have a variety of physical and psychological ailments, such as fainting, vomiting, paralysis, hyperventilation, visual problems, headaches, stomachaches, and hysteria. They have frequent absences from school as a result of these ailments or out of sheer fear. These are directly related to the presence of bullies in their school. The view that this is typical child’s play is changing somewhat but not fast enough. One of the most startling findings from the research on bullying is that victims of bullies feel that their schools didn’t do anything about it. Most students feel that they do not have any person to go to if they are victimized (Atlas & Pepler, 1998; Lumsden, 2002; Crothers & Kolbert, 2004).

One middle school adolescent reported that a bully cut in front of him every day in the lunch line. When he told his teacher, the teacher told him to work it out. The same child was a victim of physical aggression in the classroom. Whenever his math teacher would write an example on the board, a bully would slap this child on the head. When the teacher turned around, the bully stopped. The victim told the teacher what had happened, and the teacher replied, “What can I do if I don’t see it?” Not surprisingly, when the child’s parents told him to tell the adult in charge that he’s being picked on, he simply said, “Why? They don’t do anything.”

What Causes Bullying?

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A group of children on a school bus called a child names every day. If they didn’t comment on his clothes, they made fun of his physical appearance, his school performance, or his family. This had gone on for months with no intervention from the school. One day, the father of one of the “bullies” was waiting at the bus stop when the driver told him that his son was taunting a “special education child” every day. His father promptly asked his son if he did it; his son replied “yes,” and his father proceeded to slap him in the face at least three times.

A group of Little Leaguers are playing a game on a pleasant sunny day in any particular neighborhood. A seven-year-old slides int...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Publisher’s Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• 1. What Is Bullying?
• 2. Why Are Students With Disabilities Targeted?
• 3. How to Identify Bullies and Their Victims
• 4. Creating a School-Wide Program
• 5. What Every Teacher Must Do
• 6. What Every Paraprofessional Should Know
• 7. What Every Parent Should Know
• 8. Teaching Supports and Techniques
• Appendix A. Books on Bullying (For Students)
• Appendix B. Useful Websites for Dealing With Bullying
• References
• Index