Bullying & Cyberbullying: Update For Parents Of Students In Special Education

BY JOHN SPOEDE, PH.D., LPC-S, LCDC, NCC, CSC AND DIANNE REED, ED.D.

ABSTRACT

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children. It involves a real or perceived power  imbalance, and the behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (Bauman, Cross, & Walker, 2014). Bullying takes many forms, from direct physical harm (physical bullying); to verbal taunts and threats (verbal bullying); to exclusion, humiliation, and rumor-spreading (relational or social bullying); to electronic harassment using texts, e-mails, or online mediums (cyberbullying).

Although physical and cyberbullying are often of greatest concern, social and verbal bullying are the more common forms experienced by students (Bauman, Cross, & Walker, 2014). In an article by Spoede and Reed (2015), several recommendations related to the issues of bullying including cyberbullying of students in special education were presented for school personnel. All of the materials referenced were based on current research studies from 2014 and 2015. Similarly, this article will enumerate recommendations for parents, school personnel, and community members related to the issues of bullying including cyberbullying of students in special education.

DETERRING BULLYING BEHAVIORS: IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Recent research indicate that bullying behaviors may be deterred through joint efforts of parents, school personnel, and community members working together. Hughes (2014) suggests that a variety of school staff, community members, and parents should be involved in developing and assessing the effectiveness of bullying awareness, prevention and intervention programs, and data should be collected and reported to enhance future programs (Rodkin, Espelage, & Hanish, 2015). Bullying prevention and intervention programs that include support systems for bullied children may be established system-wide. (Rodkin, Espelage, & Hanish, 2015).

It is important to note that school bullying awareness, prevention, and intervention programs should include cyberbullying as a component for all programs (Heiman & Olenik-Shemesh, 2015). Additionally, there should be deliberate discussions aimed at promoting technology awareness, privacy protection and anonymous reporting of observed cyberbullying in order to increase digital upstanders (Wong-Lo & Bullock, 2014). Parents and community members can actively create and support cyberbullying awareness programs for parents, and actively offer parent and student trainings and information about technology awareness, privacy protection, and anonymous reporting of observed cyberbullying. Schools should work with parents and community members to assist with teaching students with disabilities about online safety (Good & Fang, 2015).

O’Brennan, Waasdrop, and Bradshaw (2014) support collaboration between parents, community members, and school personnel regarding deterring bullying behaviors through encouraging the increase of connectedness between parents and school personnel. The researchers believe that this increased connectedness will lead to a deeper level of comfort for school personnel to quickly intervene when inappropriate behaviors occur. Parents can show their support by participating and facilitating school personnel appreciations and socializations.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN OPEN COMMUNICATION IN ADDRESSING BULLYING ISSUES IN THE SCHOOL

Parents should take on the primary position of asking their child to provide details of the bullying situations so that the information can be shared with school personnel. Children with disabilities do not always realize they are being bullied. They may, for example, believe that they have a new friend although this “friend” is making fun of them (Cortes & Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2014). Parents should be supportive of the child and encourage him or her to describe who was involved and how and where the bullying happened. Parents should ask the child specific questions about his or her friendships. Parents should explore whether the child may also be bullying other younger, weaker students at school. If so, his or her individualized education plan (IEP), functional behavioral assessment (FBA), or behavior intervention plan (BIP) may need to be modified to include interventions to assist with the change of aggressive behaviors (Rodkin, Espelage, & Hanish, 2015).

Parents should be aware of signs of bullying, even if the child doesn’t call it that; they should be sure to tell the child that it is not his or her fault and that nobody deserves to be bullied or harassed; and they should not encourage the child to fight back, this may make the problem worse (Good & Fang, 2015).

THE PARENT IN THE ROLE OF ADVOCATE FOR THEIR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD

Parents should talk with the child’s teacher immediately when they suspect that their child is experiencing bullying incidents to see whether he or she can help to resolve the problem (Cortes & Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2014). In general, it is also a good idea to include other school personnel, such as special education case managers, school administrators [,] and school counselors, in these conversations as well.

Parents should put their concerns in writing and contact the principal if the bullying or harassment is severe or the teacher is unable to address the problem with positive outcomes. They should explain what happened in detail and ask for a prompt response. It is important that written records of all conversations and communications with the school be kept (Cortes & Kochenderfer-Ladd, 2014).

In addition, parents should ask the school district to convene a meeting of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) or the Section 504 teams. These groups ensure that the school district is meeting the needs of its students with disabilities. This meeting will allow parents to explain what has been happening and will let the team review the child’s IEP or 504 plans and make sure that the school is taking steps to stop the harassment. Parents should discuss with the team the child’s need for counseling or other supportive services because of the harassment (Cornell & Limber, 2015).

Parents may also be instrumental in promoting social and emotional skills development among students with disabilities (Rose & Tynes, 2015). During the annual planning meeting for students in special education, parents should be specific in requesting IEP’s about topics such as social skills development. Furthermore, parents and  community members should be deliberate in allowing students in special education to develop social and emotional skills in natural settings, both in and out of the school setting.

Parents can request topics on online safety be included in their child’s special education annual meeting paper work, and request that school personnel, such as school counselors, provide student assemblies and classroom guidance lessons about online safety. This involvement can be accomplished through such efforts as PTA involvement, parents serving on campus advisory teams, and parent participation in bullying awareness and prevention programs at school. Parents should be persistent. They should talk regularly with the child and with school staff to see whether the behavior has stopped (Eisenberg, et al, 2015).

CONCLUSION

Every child receiving special education is entitled to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE), and bullying can become an obstacle to that education (Cornell & Limber, 2015). Students with disabilities, who are eligible for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA), will have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP can be a helpful tool in a bullying prevention plan. If a school district does not take reasonable, appropriate steps to end the bullying or harassment of a child with special needs, the district may be violating federal, state, and local laws. For more information, contact: The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights; The U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs; or The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights (Cornell & Limber, 2015).

This is an area of research that will continue to yield new findings and recommendations. These future findings should be translated into research and evidenced based best practices for school districts, campuses, and personnel. As parents and community members, take responsibility to understand the most current research and education laws and be advocates, they can help translate these items into practice for children in and out of the school setting.•

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
John Spoede, Ph.D., LPC-S, LCDC, NCC, CSC is Assistant Professor of Education College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, School of Education, Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX.
Email: jspoede@hbu.edu
Dianne Reed, Ed.D. is Professor of Education, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, School of Education, Houston Baptist University, Houston, TX. Email: dreed@hbu.edu


References
Cornell, D., & Limber, S. P. (2015). Law and policy on the concept of bullying at school. American Psychologist, 70, 333–343. http://dx.doi .org/10.1037/a0038558
Eisenberg, M. E., Gower, A., McMorris, B., & Bucchianeri, M. (2015). Vulnerable bullies: Perpetration of peer harassment in youth across sexual orientation, weight and disability status. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(2), doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.10.020.
Good, B., & Fang, L. (2015). Promoting smart and safe internet use among children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their parents. Clinical Social Work Journal, 43(2), 179.
Heiman, T., & Olenik-Shemesh, D. (2015). Cyberbullying experience and gender differences among adolescents in different educational settings. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 48(2), 146-155.
Heiman, T., Olenik-¬Shemesh, D., & Eden, S. (2015). Cyberbullying involvement among students with ADHD: Relation to loneliness, self-efficacy and social support. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 30(1), 15-29.
Hughes, S. (2014). Bullying: What speech-language pathologists should know? Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 45, 3-13.
O’Brennan, L.M., Waasdorp, T.E., & Bradshaw, C.P. (2014). Strengthening bullying prevention through school staff connectedness. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(3), 870-880. Rodkin, P. C., Espelage, D. L., & Hanish, L. D. (2015). A relational framework for understanding bullying: Developmental antecedents and outcomes. American Psychologist, 70, 311–321. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1037/a0038658
Rose, C. A. & Tynes, B. M. (2015). Longitudinal associations between cybervictimization and mental health among U.S. adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, xxxx, 1-8. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth. 2015.05.002
Spoede, J & Reed, D. (2015). Issue Update: Special Education and Bullying. DiaLog- Journal of the Texas Educational Diagnosticians’ Association, 44(2), 17-20.
Wong-Lo, M., & Bullock, L. M. (2014). Digital metamorphosis: Examination of the bystander culture in cyberbullying. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19, 418-422. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2014.06.007

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