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Bullying Special Needs Children

Clampdown on disability bullying

Schools in England are being told how to tackle bullying of children with special needs or disabilities.
Ref. https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7401382.stm

Children Special Bullying

To bully special needs is to me the pond scum and they need to be whipped in public for their deeds. Given this is not an option I think the policy here is good but only if the principal enforces it fairly and consistently and gets the rest of the good children to buy into it. In doing this it takes away the power of the bully.

We had 4 highly handicapped students in my high school and no one picked on them because the principal had the high school sports team act on his behalf. Our principal was the best in getting the school body to buy into the school and being proud of being there. It reflected in how well our teams performed as well as high academic standards being maintained.

Good policies with a good leader can go far in making an education pleasant. Yes we had thugs but they knew the rules and kept a very low profile on school grounds. The principal had no issues in having a student arrested and charged for harassment.

Bullying Special Needs Children Health & Special Psychology

Here in Trinidad, special needs children are bullied to the point of tears, it is not just the occasional "teasing" but humiliation to the extreme. As a teacher, I have seen this many times.

Our special needs son is bullied at the park because kids just don't like them when he pushes himself to them because he wants to play. Since he lacks social cues, he does not know when kids just don't like him and don't want to play with him. At the moment, we had to stop taking him to the park when kids are there for this reason. We take him to the park with his brother instead. This is the main reason I want 6 children, so at least his own brothers and sisters can become his friends, help him and love him regardless of his differences.

Children Special Bullying

What I find most deplorable about this particular article is the date. This is just happening NOW in England! Anti-bullying policies have been a part of American school systems since the 60's. While my son (who is now 30) was in school, the schools in New Jersey were MANDATED to press charges against anyone caught bullying anyone else for any reason. People caught fighting on school property (and that included at the bus stops before and after school) were reprimanded, their parents called, they served detention time, and if it happened too often, they were arrested AT SCHOOL and walked out of their classrooms in HANDCUFFS. That, of course, was high school. They didn't arrest younger kids, but the child would be detained in the principle's office or the guidance councilor's office and the police and their parents called.

As early as the 60's I remember having gang problems in our schools and that was when we began having armed police in the schools instead of just the "truant" officer. Now all the schools have a city policeman or a county sheriff on duty as long as the school building is open. This is actually a good thing because it allows children to develop a personal relationship with at least one officer and it helps generate respect for the officers. These officers are volunteers for the job and are usually those who get along well with children. The children come to trust their school officer and even to love him as much as they do their favorite teachers. My daughter was heartbroken when her middle school officer did not come back for her 8th year, but he wanted to go back to the roads and be "a real policeman". A lot of the kids missed Officer Richards. When he made the papers for saving a wounded man from a burning truck you'd think he was the school's personal hero, his picture was on the main bulletin board with all sorts of "Well done" and "OUR" officer is a hero" signs on it.

I don't recall exactly when it was started but the State of Virginia has an official policy of "zero tolerance" for violence in school. Even "hazing" which is usually ONLY verbal abuse is not tolerated. Also our schools, to the best of their ability, keep challenged kids in the same schools with "normal" kids so that everyone gets to know that being "handicapped" doesn't mean they're stupid, or anything else negative. One of the most popular kids in my daughter's high school had CP. He lived in a wheel chair and couldn't speak except with a keyboard to voice machine. He was one of the brightest, funniest, most helpful and compassionate boys in her school and he got a cheer from the entire school and their parents when he was given his Honors diploma. One of the boys in Ashley's grade was retarded. He "worked" at the high school as well as being a student there and he moved from grade to grade with his age peers, even if his educational standard was far below them. No one dared make fun of Tim. No one wanted to, either. If anyone found anyone at all talking against Tim he had defenders all over the school. It's the best way, here, to teach tolerance. Of course the paperwork that goes home every start of every school year includes educational materials for the parents detailing the policies of the school and offering help and social services available if there is a problem at home. Every high school in America has guidance councilors who are available to the parents as well as the students.


If you live in a place that does not have such policies yet, try to get parent volunteers to work with the school system to get a "zero tolerance" policy started. It has to begin somewhere and if the government isn't going to do it, then it's up to the parents to protect their children.

Children Special Bullying

ArrwynCliona you are very correct in saying the parents need to get in and be involved after all the teacher and the principal in general are going to take the easy way out. We need to push these issues and help bring in enforced rules.

LDS Filipe's situation just breaks my heart every time I hear it. Your school system must also be allowing this kind of behavior as well as the majority of the parents or it would not exist. I would cream my boys if they ever dreamed of acting poorly to some one because they are different. I also lead in example by being friendly to all even when I feel some what leery of them. After all the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Bullying Special Needs Children

We very often have this problem with my daughter Claire, as she thinks that everybody is her 'best friend', and when she goes up to children in the park and says "Hello friends" this is what seems to start of the bullying, that and the fact that she doesn't have 'age related' emotions… if she has to wait for something, or somebody pushes in, there is the biggest commotion, resulting with her lying on the floor kicking and screaming (She is nearly 7, and big for her age)

I really feel for you LDS, because it's so horrible to want to see your child accepted, but instead having to watch them being bullied by other children… and kids can just be so cruel!

Great Britain has had a problem with school bullying of special needs children for a long time, it's just that now the government are having to tackle it, as there are more registered special needs children than ever, and the parents aren't prepared to put up with it (And neither should they have to)

My daughter has only been at her new school 5 months, and we've already had 3 cases of bullying that we've had to speak to the head teacher about… it's definitely very upsetting and worrying!

Bullying Special Children

Sometimes the bullying can come from their own teachers, the ones that should know better. Check this story: Source 2i about a teacher that not only frightened an autistic child but followed after him to scare him some more.