Effects of Bullying on Children and Adolescents with Disabilities - Article Example

Effects of Bullying on Children and Adolescents with Disabilities Bullying is a tragic phenomenon that had been in existence since time immemorial. It is in fact one of the negative social factors that affects a wide scope of people in the society be it at childhood level or in the adolescent level. The bullies instil fears and terror to their victims. Bullying is an act and/or behaviour that involve attacking those who are weaker members of the group who becomes the victims (Swearer, Espelage, Vaillancourt & Hymel, 2010). Therefore, it would involve acts such as threatening, teasing, coercing, taunting, assaulting, verbal abuses and stealing. On the other hand, it may involve some complex structured behaviour that subject the victim to a whole life of solitude and despair due to psychological torture by means of bad rumours and seclusions. It is a very devastating experience to the victims. While the bullies enjoy the realm of power, superiority and control their victims on the other hand are subjected to distress and inferiority. The victims are often manipulated and abused at the whims of the bullies. The bullies tend to possess some negative attitudes and behaviours in life generally such as being defiant to instructions, which are hence translated, in bullying behaviour (Roekel et al. 2010). The act of bullying is commonly perceived in schools (Smith et al. 1999). This is where a group of bullies come together to foster there bad vice. Normally the victims of the act of bullying do not find life worthy when they undergo such tragic experiences. It causes them to suffer lifetime negative view about the society as a whole (Pittet et al., 2010). In tandem, it cultivates in the individual victims, some negative social perceptions and behaviours. Bullying and victimization has become rampant in recent time with an estimate from 6 to 41% in boys and from 5 to 38% in girls (Duel at al. 2005). The impact of such behaviours has repercussion to the wider society. It is on this basis that all the elements of bullying subjected to children as well as adolescents in different capacities must be put to a halt. Bullies like to engage those persons with disabilities (Kimberly et al., 2010). Indeed bullying is a social problem that spans the world at large and cannot be pointed out to belonging to only a particular society (Swearer et al., 2010). Characteristically the bullies tend to posses some personality issues as against their victims. It is quite a disheartening and traumatizing experience such that society should not condone the bullying behaviours to thrive any more. Therefore, mechanisms must be put in place to control the vice. Therefore, this article is mean to analyze and synthesize the available information pertaining the special category of persons in society mainly those with disabilities in order to appreciate the nature and extent to which bullying is involved in this group of people. Presentation of behaviours Normally, acts of bullying would vary with the circumstance and social sphere one is involved in. Even to those specialized categories of people in society especially the disabled, bullying and victimizations has taken toll (Heinrichs 2003) and (Baumeister et al. 2008). This is so since these group of people are often prone to abuse and negligence from the society and hence they are disconnected from the normal social network in terms of opportunities and interactions. On this premise, the special category of people who can be envisaged as a guide to the understanding of bullies and victims in this article are those with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger Syndrome. Studies have indicated that these groups of people are susceptible to the acts of bullying and victimization simply because they have challenges in connecting to the world and hence cannot appreciate and understand the conduct of others (Frith and Hill 2004). Children with Asperger Syndrome are an easy target of bullying in schools (Heinrichs 2003). The inability to embrace and create friendship as well as to interact with others in the society makes these categories of people possess high risks for victimization. A good illustration was indicated by (Little 2002) that 94% of children with Asperger Syndrome were victimized as compared to those who were normal while an earlier study had indicated that 75 % of adolescents with Asperger Syndrome became victims of bullying compared to those who were nondisabled. While generally according to DiMarco and Newman (2011), the rate of bullying occurs with 55% on boys and 45% on girls. What is perceived from the outcome is that bullying targets the weaker members of the society (Swearer et al., 2010). The bullies seem to possess some inherent interests or factors in them that subjects them to harass those who are unable to protect themselves hence deriving some satisfaction from such. The bullying behaviours if left unchecked or controlled will be detrimental to the victims and the society as well. According to (Frith and Hill 2004) the inability to perceive the kind of behaviour one displays to the others will cause especially those suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorders subject others to acts of bullying. Again, one of the main factors in this category of people is the high level of aggressive behaviours that tend to push them to the edge of bullying others. According to (Heinrichs 2003), those subjected to constant pattern of bullying are so reluctant to report the matter to either their parents or teachers simply because they do not see any aid or assistance coming their way at all cost. Therefore, they just absorb all the torments, which is very unfortunate. It is a common occurrence that these special groups of people are treated in the most inhumane manner and becomes the subject of bullies. They are simply targeted due to the manner in which they act, walk talk and/or even think for instance children with Asperger Syndrome are often misunderstood in the kind of statements they make due to their poor interpretation and social-communication deficits (Heinrichs 2003). Children with Asperger Syndrome do not understand what they are perceived by the society and incidentally they have communication barriers that can form a breeding ground for bullies to abuse them. Accordingly most of them becomes victims of circumstances such that they are implicated in each and every situation that seem adverse to the whole group in which they are partly involved hence carrying the burden on behalf of others. That is why most of them have the negative perceptions about schools. On the other hand, the adolescents are more prone to this kind of bullying such that they begin portraying negative attitudes towards life in general. Definitely, they will have been at this stage of life deprived happiness and consequently they will shun social life, which would lead them to live life of solitude and distress. Consequences of Bullying Habits die-hard. On this basis the bullies who have mastered their behaviours would most likely to carry on with such acts even to their mature age. As a result, most of them find themselves involved in criminal activities. The bullies will always maintain the bad vice and this will influence the standard and quality of life they will lead always. This notwithstanding, bullying has always been the way of life in schools not until recently when the government and other stakeholders where awoken from slumber by the spate of shooting spree in schools as well as acts of violence that has become rampant which basically can be attributed to extreme form of bullying (Heinrichs 2003). Therefore, it has become an agent issue to call for the development of special attention in creating policies and mechanisms in preventing bullying and victimizations in schools. On the other hand, the victims are perturbed with the life in general. They are the victims of circumstance and more often will be low in self-esteem and view life with disdain. Those who are subjected to severe bullying would end up being depressed at one point in life. This might end up causing some mental disorder and hence poor quality of life (Son, Parish & Peterson, 2012). Others will be engulfed in a sphere of fear and repulsion to social life as well as in other realms of life such as academics. It is on this premise that bullying should be condemned and stopped at all costs. Again, bullying would provide a false mirror to most of those involved in it. They tend to have a marred reasoning that to gain power and dominance then one must display or subject the weaker to some form of aggressive acts in order to win their attention (Heinrichs 2003). This poor perception in the long run will have consequences in life. Those involved in acts of violence in society be it domestic violence and others are a good examples of this category of people. Bullying causes a lot of torments and discomfort in the victim’s life. Therefore, it can rob one his/her childhood life. Normally bullying is perceived to range from childhood to the age of adolescent in most circumstances. The victims are also within the same age set or younger. According to (Heinrichs 2003) those children with Asperger Syndrome will experience bad development that can have tremendous repercussion in their live due to the consistency with which they are involved as victims of bully behaviours (Heinrichs 2003). For the victims of bullying behaviour if at all they chose to retaliate and face their bullies then it would not be just a simple issue but indeed it will involve some devastating actions that will make every ponder how and why it happened (Stewart et al., 2011). The victims often feel secluded and unwanted in their surroundings. The torments they undergo in their daily lives might one day make them repulsive with severe consequences to follow. They will act to create a level playing field and because of the fear of failure they will make sure that everything works out eventually even to the extreme measures of killing the bullies. This position can be attributed to the shooting in schools in recent times. It can be said to be act of vengeance. Conclusion Strategies of developing resilience in children with disabilities and adolescents with disabilities are wide. Research has come up with viable options which can assist is preventing bullying but they need to be scrutinized such that those that provide better solutions are taken into consideration (Heinrichs 2003). According to (Marshall et al. 2009), coming up with schemes and programs of protecting those with disabilities from bullying and victimization tend to be complicated by such factors as cognitive deficits. It would mean therefore that extra efforts must be facilitate in terms of resources and labour intervention. However despite the challenges it would be beneficial if the stakeholders involved in the children and adolescents with disabilities in terms of bullying and victimization be encouraged to adopt the following approach (Marshall et al. 2009): (a) To create a conducive learning environment such that those involved will quickly detect any kind of bullying behaviour that is not condoned and report the same to the relevant administrative body for action immediately. (b) To facilitate interactive mechanisms that would allow individual, groups and class to highlight their views and solutions about bullying and victimization as perceived from first hand. (c) To act with agency whenever such attributes of the vices are envisaged such as low self-esteem in order to establish a quick response to the disaster before it takes root. (d) To embrace the new methods and programs that has thrived well elsewhere in combating the issues of bullying. (e) To provide an all inclusive program that will accommodate everyone concerned in the sphere such as parents thereby facilitating effective tools to curb the vice. (f) To monitor and suggest the effect of the programs adopted if such is efficient and effective. School provides an opportunity for all round development in every individual. It should be a second haven apart from home since growth, development and learning takes place within the school. What ought therefore to be facilitated in this learning environment is a guaranteed safety, peace and tranquillity. No child and/or adolescent should be subjected to any kind of torture of abuse in the form of bullying as the same is against internationally acclaimed rights belonging to the child and must be guaranteed by the state. Bases on this proposition the school administration should liaise with the relevant parties such as parents in order to come up with a viable solution that will put acts of bullying to a stop. Such that any child/adolescent involved in the bullying behaviour are to be punished accordingly. It is not high time to formulate legislative provisions since the same exists. What is paramount is the implementation of the same. This can be likened to the zero tolerance policy that was initiated in most schools way back in 1994 (Heinrichs 2003). Therefore, effective implementation of prescribed punishment should take place without any hesitation and indeed bullying will be part of history. Bullying has a wider consequence in life and adults more often are involved in the bullying kind of behaviours. It cannot be claimed to be a child or an adolescent issues (Christensen et al., 2012). If left unaddressed then society should be ready to brace the ultimate plunge to moral decadence and violence in the future. These small acts of bullying as can be envisage are in fact the form of attribute that contributed to the state of nature where man lived in anarchy and that life was harsh, solitary, brutish and short. We cannot afford such state of anarchy to take precedence and therefore the community or society must be involved actively in coming up with viable solutions (Heinrichs 2003). The disabled in society are already disadvantaged to add them another burden in the form of bullying will be to demean them and make them inhuman (Turner et al., 2011). The standard and quality of life that we require and aspire to attain should not have bullying as an element to consider. Therefore the society should take responsibility and guide the process in quashing such elements which must be guaranteed and protect by the government of the day failure to which the repercussions of an enfranchised populace will follow suit. All in all society has come to a conclusive remark that bullying should not be condoned and must be prevented at all cost. Some of the suggested components in facilitating successful prevention program are as follows (Heinrich 2003): (a) Promoting awareness (b) Carrying out investigative tasks where applicable (c) Formulating and implanting code of conduct in school (d) Involving the wider community especially parents in taking responsibilities (e) Encourage quality and standard behaviours in school modelled after best behaviours. This list is not exhaustive and therefore depending on the situation other factors can also be included. To address the plight of the needy or the disable child/adolescent then will be prudent to analyze each situation base on its own merit and modify the situation to cater for such. The complexity involved in attending to the disabled who have been subject to one form of bullying will require enormous attention and resources. Therefore, stringent measures must be put in place to protect such victims and this can be facilitated better through formulation and implementation of policies and laws that will be beneficial to everyone at large. References Baumeister, A. L., Storch, E. A., & Geffken, G. R. (2008). Peer victimization in children with learning disabilities. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 25(1), 11-23 Bean, A. L. (2008). Protecting Your Child from Bullying: Expert Advice to Help You Recognize, Prevent, and Stop Bullying Before Your Child Gets Hurt. John Wiley & Sons. Christensen, L., Fraynt, R., Neece, C., & Baker, B. (2012). Bullying Adolescents with Intellectual Disability. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 5(1), 49-65 DiMarco, J. E., & Newman, M. K. (2011). When Your Child Is Being Bullied: Real Solutions For Parents, Educators and Other Professionals. Untreed Reads. Dosani, S. (2008). Bullying: 52 Brilliant Ideas for Keeping Your Children Safe and Secure. Infinite Ideas. Due, P., Holstein, B. E., Lynch, J., Diderichsen, F., Nic Gabhein, S., Scheidt, P., & Currie, C. (2005). Bullying and symptoms among school-aged children: International comparative cross sectional study in 28 countries. European Journal of Public Health, 15(2), 128-132 Frith, U., & Hill, E. (2004). Autism: Mind and brain. New York: Oxford University Press. Heinrichs, R., & Myles, B. (2003). Perfect Targets: Asperger Syndrome and Bullying: Practical Solutions for Surviving the Social World, AAPC Publishing. Kimberly, T., Conway, S., Danielle, S., Michelle, M. Lloyd, T., & Eve, S. (2010). Bullying and Ostracism Experiences in Children With Special Health Care Needs. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 31(1), 1-8 Marshall, A. C., Kendal, E., Gover, M., Bornemann, T. (2009). Disabilities: Insights from Across Fields and Around the World. ABC-CLIO. Pittet, I., Berchtold, A., Akre, C., Michaud, P., & Suris, J. (2010). Are adolescents with chronic conditions particularly at risk for bullying? Archives of Disease in Childhood, 95, 711-716 Roekel, F., Scholte, R., & Didden, R. (2010). Bullying Among Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Prevalence and Perception. Journal of Autism and Development Disorders, 40(1), 63-73 Smith, P.K., Morita, Y., Junger-Tas. J., Olweus, D., Catalano, R., Slee P. (1999). The nature of school bullying: A cross-national perspective. London & New York: Routledge. Son, E., Parish, S., & Peterson, A. (2012). National prevalence of peer victimization among young children with disabilities in the United States. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(8), 1540-1545 Stewart, M., Barnfather, A., Magill-Evans, J., Ray, L., & Letoumeau, N. (2011). Brief report: An online support intervention: Perceptions of adolescents with physical disabilities. Journal of Adolescence, 34(4), 795-800 Swearer, S., Espelage, D., Vaillancourt, T., & Hymel, S. (2010). What Can Be Done About School Bullying? Educational Research, 39(1), 38-47 Turner, H., Vanderminden, J., Finkelhor, D., Hamby, S., & Shattuk, A. (2011). Disability and Victimization in a National Sample of Children and Youth. Child Maltreat, 16(4), 275-286 Read More

Therefore, this article is mean to analyze and synthesize the available information pertaining the special category of persons in society mainly those with disabilities in order to appreciate the nature and extent to which bullying is involved in this group of people. Presentation of behaviours Normally, acts of bullying would vary with the circumstance and social sphere one is involved in. Even to those specialized categories of people in society especially the disabled, bullying and victimizations has taken toll (Heinrichs 2003) and (Baumeister et al. 2008). This is so since these group of people are often prone to abuse and negligence from the society and hence they are disconnected from the normal social network in terms of opportunities and interactions.

On this premise, the special category of people who can be envisaged as a guide to the understanding of bullies and victims in this article are those with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Asperger Syndrome. Studies have indicated that these groups of people are susceptible to the acts of bullying and victimization simply because they have challenges in connecting to the world and hence cannot appreciate and understand the conduct of others (Frith and Hill 2004). Children with Asperger Syndrome are an easy target of bullying in schools (Heinrichs 2003).

The inability to embrace and create friendship as well as to interact with others in the society makes these categories of people possess high risks for victimization. A good illustration was indicated by (Little 2002) that 94% of children with Asperger Syndrome were victimized as compared to those who were normal while an earlier study had indicated that 75 % of adolescents with Asperger Syndrome became victims of bullying compared to those who were nondisabled. While generally according to DiMarco and Newman (2011), the rate of bullying occurs with 55% on boys and 45% on girls.

What is perceived from the outcome is that bullying targets the weaker members of the society (Swearer et al., 2010). The bullies seem to possess some inherent interests or factors in them that subjects them to harass those who are unable to protect themselves hence deriving some satisfaction from such. The bullying behaviours if left unchecked or controlled will be detrimental to the victims and the society as well. According to (Frith and Hill 2004) the inability to perceive the kind of behaviour one displays to the others will cause especially those suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorders subject others to acts of bullying.

Again, one of the main factors in this category of people is the high level of aggressive behaviours that tend to push them to the edge of bullying others. According to (Heinrichs 2003), those subjected to constant pattern of bullying are so reluctant to report the matter to either their parents or teachers simply because they do not see any aid or assistance coming their way at all cost. Therefore, they just absorb all the torments, which is very unfortunate. It is a common occurrence that these special groups of people are treated in the most inhumane manner and becomes the subject of bullies.

They are simply targeted due to the manner in which they act, walk talk and/or even think for instance children with Asperger Syndrome are often misunderstood in the kind of statements they make due to their poor interpretation and social-communication deficits (Heinrichs 2003). Children with Asperger Syndrome do not understand what they are perceived by the society and incidentally they have communication barriers that can form a breeding ground for bullies to abuse them. Accordingly most of them becomes victims of circumstances such that they are implicated in each and every situation that seem adverse to the whole group in which they are partly involved hence carrying the burden on behalf of others.

That is why most of them have the negative perceptions about schools. On the other hand, the adolescents are more prone to this kind of bullying such that they begin portraying negative attitudes towards life in general.

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