parent training and information for families of children with disabilities bullying – recognition...
TRANSCRIPT
Parent Training and Information
For Families of Children with Disabilities
Bullying – Recognition and Intervention
Presenter: Jennifer Miller
©2003 • PACER
DEFINING BULLYING BEHAVIOR
“Bullying among children is commonly defined as intentional, repeated, hurtful acts, words or
other behavior, such as name-calling, threatening and/or shunning committed
by one or more children against another.”
U.S. Department of Education Bullying Prevention Manual
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Three Areas of Concern to Parents and Others:
1.Education – School avoidance and loss of academic achievement2.Health – Physical and emotional3.Safety – Harm to self and others
The Impact of Bullying
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Types of Bullying
• Physical• Verbal• Emotional (Social)• Sexual• Cyber
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• Hitting, kicking, pushing, pulling hair, spitting on
• Taking property• Damaging property• Forced or unwelcome contact• Perceived intent to harm
Types of Bullying—Physical
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Types of Bullying—Verbal
• Teasing with the intent to hurt/harm• Name calling• Threats against the target• Intimidation• Demeaning jokes, stories or remarks
about another’s differences• Gossiping• Spreading rumors that hurt
one’s reputation
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Types of Bullying—Emotional
• Alienation or exclusion from groups• Manipulation done to harm
acceptance into groups• Damage to reputation• Public humiliation• Creating a sense of unease for
the target
• Sexually charged comments • Inappropriate or lewd glances• Inappropriate physical contact• Exhibitionism• Sexual assault
Types of Bullying—Sexual
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Types of Bullying—Cyber
• Sending hurtful, rude, or mean text messages to others
• Spreading rumors or lies via email or on social networks
• Creating websites, videos, or social media profiles that embarrass, humiliate, or make fun of others
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Types of Bullying—Cyber
• Bullying online is VERY different from face-to-face bullying because messages and images can be: Sent 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, 365 days a year Shared to a very wide audience Sent anonymously
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Common Views and Myths
• Kids will be kids• Bullying is a natural part of childhood• Sticks and stones…words will never
hurt you• Some people deserve to be bullied• Bullying makes kids tougher• It’s only teasing or joking• Telling a teacher about bullying is
“tattling”
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Who is a Bully?
• Bullies can come in all shapes, sizes, races, and gender
• The most common characteristic of children who bully – they seek to demonstrate POWER. The bully is physically, socially or psychologically more powerful than the victim.
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Other Characteristics
• Likes control• Enjoys causing pain• Lacks compassion, empathy, and
understanding for others’ feelings• Unwilling to accept responsibility for
their actions; Lacks guilt• Can be frustrated, anxious, or even
be bullied themselves
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Who is a Target?
There is no “typical profile” of someone who might be subjected to bullying. It could be:
•Doesn’t fit in•Physically weak•Physical appearance•Good grades/bad grades•Behaviors•Alone or isolated•Passive/insecure•Different from the “norm” for any number of reasons
When Should Bullying Behaviors Be Addressed?
• Bullying behaviors should be addressed BEFORE it interferes with the health, academics, or learning process of a student.
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Reactions and Responses
When a parent or caregiver discovers their child is being bullied, they may feel a variety of emotions. These may include disbelief, fear, sadness, guilt, anger, helplessness, and they might ask “Why?”
It’s important to move from “Why?” to an action plan immediately.
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Talk with Children about Bullying
• Listen• Believe• Be supportive• Be patient• Provide information• Explore options for
intervention strategies
64% of children who were bullied did not
report it; only 36% reported bullying (Petrosino 2010)
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Why Some Children Might Not Tell
• Fear an “overreaction”
• Feel judged
• Feel embarrassed
• Find it hard to talk about anything
• Feel ashamed
• Feel responsible
• Think it does no good
• Worry they won’t be protected
• Think it’s not macho; Feel weak
• Decide adults don’t care
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Reactions to Avoid
• Telling your child to stand up to the bully
• Telling your child to ignore and avoid the bully
• Taking matters into your own hands
WHY? Because we need to work TOGETHER to stop bullying
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Questions to Ask Your Child
• Did the other child hurt you on purpose?
• Was it done more than once?
• How did it make you feel? (sad, scared, angry?)
• Did it make you feel unsafe?
• Is the other child stronger or more powerful than you in some way? (physically, socially, etc…)
(Adapted from Your Child: Bully or Victim? Understanding and Ending Schoolyard Tyranny” Peter Sheras, Ph.D., 2002)
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Keep a Record
• Who is doing the bullying?• What happened? Was it verbal, physical,
sexual, or cyber-bullying?• What days and times were you bullied?• Where did the bullying take place?• How did you respond to the bullying? • Did any other children or adults observe the
bullying? If so, what are the names of these people?
*Parents should contact school staff each time your child informs you that he or she has been bullied
Encourage Self-advocacy
Provide your child with affirmations that:
•You are not alone
•It is not up to you to stop the bullying
•Bullying happens to a lot of kids, but that NEVER makes it right
•No one deserves to be bullied, everyone deserves respect
•You have a right to be safe at school
•We all need to work together
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Discuss Intervention and Response Strategies
• Don’t bring expensive items to school• Avoid unsupervised areas• Exhibit confidence• Avoid being isolated• Ask the bully to stop• Educate the bully• Do something the bully would not anticipate such
as using humor to laugh it off or agree with the bully
• Know when to ‘walk away’ when your strategy is not working
• Always Report It!
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Be An Active Bystander
Bystanders can become part of the problem unless they are ACTIVE bystanders.
Active bystanders can help by:•Spending time with the student being bullied•Trying to get the student away from the situation•Listening to the student being bullied•Telling the student that no one deserves to be bullied
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Bullying and Children With Disabilities
Bullying of children with disabilities is significant, although few studies exist to document it.
The studies that have been published found that children with disabilities were two to three times more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers.
This is why it’s important to:•Teach self-advocacy skills•Help children understand their disability•Encourage social development and peer involvement, and build support systems•AND know the law and school policies
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Dear Colleague Letter 2000
Dear Colleague Letter dated July 25th, 2000:
•A letter from the OCR and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the U.S Department of Education that says, “States and school districts also have a responsibility under Section 504, Title II, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which is enforced by OSERS to ensure that a free appropriate public education (FAPE) is made available to eligible students with disabilities. Disability harassment may result in a denial of FAPE under these statutes.”
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Dear Colleague Letter 2010
Dear Colleague Letter dated October 26th, 2010:
•A letter from the Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) stating that bullying may also be considered harassment when it is based on a student’s race, color, national origin, sex, or disability
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Dear Colleague Letter 2013
Dear Colleague Letter dated August 20th, 2013:
•A letter from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) that was issued to provide an overview of a school district’s responsibilities under I.D.E.A. to address bullying of student’s with disabilities.
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How Can Parents Address Bullying At School?
• Keep a written record• Practice ways for the child to respond to bullying• Notify school administrators• Review the school district’s written policies on
bullying and harassment• Review the laws on bullying and harassment • If the child has a 504 or IEP, bullying can be
addressed in the educational plan by developing interventions and action plans to help prevent and intervene against bullying
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• Parents can take an active role in their child’s school.
• Ask what can be done so their child can feel safe in school and in his/her every day life.
• Promote change in the school (safety and well-being).
Parent Involvement
Seek the Help of Professionals
Professionals may offer support, advice, and information to assist parents in determining the best intervention to stop a child from being a target of bullying.
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Respond on the Spot
Adults need to respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior. Some steps adults can take are:
•Intervene immediately. Get another adult to help out if/when needed•Separate the students involved •Make sure everyone is safe•Attend to any immediate medical or mental health needs•Stay calm. Reassure the students involved, including bystanders•Model respectful behavior (stopbullying.gov)
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Respond on the Spot
Things adults should avoid doing:
•Don’t ignore it•Don’t immediately try to sort out the facts•Don’t force other kids to say publicly what they saw•Don’t question the children involved in front of other kids•Don’t talk to the kids involved together, only separately•Don’t make the kids involved apologize or patch up relations on the spot
(stopbullying.gov)
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For more information on how to recognize and stop bullying, please visit these websites:
www.pacer.org/bullyingwww.stopbullying.gov
Bullying Information
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• Evaluations• Thank you so much for
attending this presentation!• Contact PTI anytime if you
have any questions or concerns
Thank You!