Bullying and Special Needs Children

Preventing Bullying

• Do interventions work to reduce bullying in school?
  www.education.unisa.edu.au/bullying/intervention.htm
  This 66-page report from the the University of South Australia focuses on reducing bullying in preschool and early primary grades. The evaluation examined 13 studies from more than 8 countries. Similarities were noted in how to stop and reduce bullying. The report discusses the successes and failures of these different "reduce bullying" attempts. 

• The lowdown on bullying.
  www.nmha.org/pbedu/backtoschool/bullying.cfm
  What's bullying, and what do we do about it? This article from the National Mental Health Association tells the story, quick and to the point. 

• Untangling the myths: What the research tells us.
  www.nwrel.org/request/dec01/untangling.html
  Find out what is and isn't true about bullies. Learn how to identify a bully and a bullying victim. Get suggestions on how to stop bullying. 

• Want to create an anti-bullying program at your school?
  www.nwrel.org/request/dec01/choosingcreating.htm
  Learn how to avoid potential pitfalls when starting a school-wide anti-bullying program. Find out how to choose a bullying prevention program that is right for your school. Print out the worksheet on creating an anti-bullying plan. 

• Quick training aids for the prevention of bullying.
  http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/bully_qt
  Planning on giving your staff training on bullying? Check out these talking points for conducting an inservice workshop. You'll find links to various research studies and papers on bullying. Get overviews, factsheets, tools, handouts, model programs, and additional resources. You'll also find overheads to use in your presentation.

• What's a parent to do?
  www.pacer.org/publications/bully.htm
  Find out, and tell others, with "Is Your Child a Target of Bullying? Intervention Strategies for Parents of Children with Disabilities," a publication of the PACER Center. It's available on CD-ROM or on overhead color transparencies with a printed script($15 CD-ROM / $165 Color Transparencies with Script). The link above will tell you all about it.

• More on what parents can do.
  www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=697&g=2
  As a parent, would you recognize the signs that your child is being bullied? Or that your child was a bully? This article will help you do both and provides suggestions for what to do about each.

• And when youth with disabilities are bullied...
  www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=1332
  Consult this Issue Brief from NCSET (National Center for Secondary Education and Transition), called "Bullying and Teasing of Youth With Disabilities: Creating Positive School Environments for Effective Inclusion."

• Newsletter on bullying.
  www.aboutourkids.org/aboutour/parent_letter/
  You won't wont to miss this newsletter from New York University (NYU) Child Study Center. The October 2003 issue is dedicated to Bullies and Victims: What a Parent Can Do. It is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.