Bullying is an increasing problem in schools and cannot be ignored. Though there is lot of awareness about it today, but lot needs to be done. The gravity of problem becomes grave when it is in concern with special Children. Children with special needs are more likely to get bullied as they become easy prey for the bullies. Special children lack in social skills, verbal and non verbal cues and they don’t understand the ways to cope with the situation. They have trouble correctly interpreting the Bullying situation and they fall easy as the target.
Children with Special Needs are at Greater Risk
They are vulnerable but can be easily provoked. Such children often find it hard to distinguish between socially appropriate and socially awkward behavior. They are not able to gauge what’s right or wrong.
Bullying can be termed as an aggressive behavior that is often repeated over many times. It can take many forms such as hitting, kicking, or shoving (physical bullying), teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying), intimidation through gestures or social exclusion (nonverbal bullying or emotional Bullying) etc.
Children with medical conditions that affect their appearances like cerebral palsy, muscular Dystrophy etc, are more likely to be victimized by their peers. Also, there is higher risk of obese children for being bullied in the age group of 11-16.
Ways to Ward Off Bullying
Parents of children with special needs have hard time dealing with day to day challenges related to their special kids. Bullying is one such major problem and parents need to be vigilant about it. So what can parents do? How can they protect their child from being bullied?
Caution your Child: Teach your child, how to spot a bully. Tell your child exactly what he should do when bullying happens. Be very specific, even giving him the exact words to say, like, "Stop teasing me!" or "Leave me alone." Or, tell your child to say nothing and simply walk away.
Keep Watch: Stay in close contact with your child. Talk to your child’s special education teacher, school counselor and other kids in the classroom. Whenever possible drop your kid to school and also pick him up several times. Engage in frequent conversations with your child ask him – how are things going on and look out for signs like depression or negative feelings, if child fails to express or hesitant to share.
Altogether, Successful anti-bullying strategies require group effort from school officials, early childhood professionals and students involved in bullying as targets or aggressors. Teachers and other staff should also be trained on how to cope with to bullying, while victims and bullies need training in special social skills.
