Bullying & Youth with Disabilities.

Studies find that children with disabilities - mental, learning, developmental, and physical - are at an increased risk to be bullied and bully than children without disabilities.

The National Bullying Prevention Center claims that there isn't much research on bullying and disabilities, but of the research that has been conducted it has been found that "children with disabilities were two to three times more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers. One study shows that 60 percent of students with disabilities report being bullied regularly compared with 25 percent of all students."

Factors that other children may perceive as vulnerability such as social challenges or isolated environments may increase the risk of bullying. For children who don't have disabilities, it may be harder for them to understand certain conditions and causes them to see others with impairments as different. As a result of their condition it is easier for them to be labeled as targets to bullies. Students who are targets of bullying are more likely to have lower grade averages, poor friendships, experience loneliness and possibly depression. 

The Departments of Education and Justice have actually implemented some laws to protect children with disabilities who are being bullied. When bullying is directed at a child their established disability and it creates a hostile environment at school, bullying behavior can be labeled as “disability harassment.”  Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the school must address the harassment. Once harassment is reported, the school is obligated to investigate, eliminate the harassment and hostile environment, and prevent it from occurring again.



Links:
 http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/groups/special-needs/index.html
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2013/08/keeping-students-with-disabilities-safe-from-bullying/

Why Do Kids Bully?

When it comes to bullying, the focal point is often on the victims. Bullying is not a black and white topic with the bullies as the essential "bad guys." This article is going to focus more on the bullies and the possibilities that could have led them to become bullies.

Let's not forget, bullies are children as well. Children, who may perhaps be having struggles of their own. There are multiple risk factors that can work together or individually that can cause a child to have bully tendencies. 

Peers:

• Kids may bully solely because their friends do.
• Peers support peers, especially if they correspond with the same views. In this case peers may have positive views about violence, or may feel pressured to fit in with their group of friends and bully  as well. 
• TIME Magazine reported on a study that found that popularity can cause bullying. What they found was that only one-third of the students engaged in any bullying at all — physical force, taunts or gossip-spreading — but those who were moving up the school popularity chain bullied more as they went higher.
  
  

  • Read more: Why Kids Bully: Because They’re Popular | TIME.com http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/08/do-popular-kids-bully-more/#ixzz2lP4Ioct2 

Family:

• Parents may be models of bullying behavior.
• Kids may be getting bullied by older siblings.
• Lack of parent-supervison or too much harsh physical punishment.
•   According to bullystatistics.org, Children who do not come from warm and loving homes and.or who experience inconsistent discipline are more likely to bully. 

Internally:

• Bullies tend to hold a negative view of themselves, suggesting they pick on others to feel better about themselves, and they may especially single out those who have trouble fitting in for other reasons as a way to alleviate the focus on their flaws.
• Feelings of inadequacy
• A sense of power.

It's important to remember that bullies are children as well. The person who is the bully today could very well be the victim tomorrow. That's why its important for parents to talk to their children about bullying, why it is wrong, and other ways to reflect their emotions.

Bullying Advice

Unless caught in the act, it can be difficult to notice if a child is being bullied because children aren't known to tell on their bullies. Children are less inclined to let parents know they are being bullied because of various reasons. Some want to be able to handle the situation autonomously, some may fear they will be labeled a snitch, while others are worried about the bullies reaction.

 If you notice that a child has started to take on self-destructive behaviors such as cutting, has a declining interest in going to school, unexplainable injuries, and developed feelings of helplessness and depression, it could be due to bullying.

If a child comes to you looking for bullying advice:

• Tell the child to try not to react or respond to the bully, just keep a calm composure and walk away.
• If that does not work, the next step would be for the child to become assertive with the bully. Tell them to make eye contact and make a strong statement such as "If you keep harrassing me, I will report you to the principal/teacher." Making strong, confident statements can defuse the situations and discourage the bully.
• If the bullying persists, talk to their teacher or principle about it. It may upset the child if he/she wanted to solve it by themselves, but it is better to have the child in a safe school environment.

Don't forget to let the child know that it isn't their fault that they are being bullied. Kids who are bullied often feel alone, defenseless, and unpopular. Make sure to let them know that they are important, that they matter, and that it is not their fault.

Cyber Bullying

 

  This post's topic is centered around cyber bullying, known as the act of adolescents bullying other teens through online harassment and humiliation. Bullying itself has started to become more prominent within America; cyber bullying even more so. CHildren who are bullied can suffer from low self-esteem, poor academic scores, and an unwillingness to attend school. Cyber bullying is different from physical bullying in the sense that it can happen at any time, some times anonymously. Adolescents can be harassed through texts, email, and social media sites such as Facebook and Ask.fm.

Statistics:

• 1 in 10 adolescents or teens have had embarrassing or damaging pictures taken of themselves without their permission, often using cell phone cameras
• About 1 in 5 teens have posted or sent sexually suggestive or nude pictures of themselves to others
• Girls are somewhat more likely than boys to be involved in cyber bullying
•  Over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have engaged in cyber bullying.

Cyber bullying is linked to many things, one being suicide. Rebecca Sedwick, a young pre-teen girl raised in FL, committed suicide after being bullied online and in real life for over a year by multiple girls. She was mainly bullied by two girls; ages 12 and 14. The bullies were instantly arrested once one of them had made a Facebook post bragging about harassing Rebecca after she found out Rebecca had taken her own life.

In such a tragedy, I think it is very important to look at the parents of the bullies, their environment, and their upbringing. Parents provide examples for children in what is acceptable and what is not. One of the bullies stepmother, Vivian Vosburg, was arrested for child abuse and neglect shortly after her daughter was detained once several community members sent the police department an online video of her repeatedly punching her sons.

When Sheriff Judd examined the video he found that "They were all laughing, cussing and throwing F-bombs everywhere, which clearly indicates to us that this is a normal way of life." 

There are many preventative programs happening all over the country to combat bullying. October happens to be Bullying Awareness Prevention month and many schools have started bullying prevention programs. Due to the amount of suicides occurring because of bullying, the government has gotten involved as well by funding schools to promote positive environments and relationships. In my opinion, bullying prevention needs to be more local at home and in schools. Parents should talk to their children about bullying and the consequences of it and teachers should be more watchful in hallways and lunch breaks to prevent physical bullying acts. More authoritative adult supervision is need in schools during social settings. When it comes to cyber bullying, it is very hard to catch which makes it easier. It may be beneficial for social media moguls to promote reporting cyber bullying or students to face school discipline when caught bullying online.

 Prevention Tips

What are some suggestions to help curve cyber bullying?
Have you ever been bullied?

What's The Difference?

The world of psychology is such a vast and interesting realm of information. Studies can vary from the way we store our memories to the social effects that technology has on the younger generations. All-in-all psychology is the study of the mental characteristics, behaviors, functions, and disfunction of the mind.

Many career options are available for psychology majors such as psychiatry, counseling therapy, and obviously psychology to name a few.  Because of the negative "shrink" stigmas declining, more people are becoming more open to seeing psychologists,  psychiatrists, counselors and therapists at this day and age without feeling shameful, thus bringing a brighter outlook on jobs in the market.

The common question that really concerns prospective clients is "What is the difference between these professions and how will I know which one will best assist me?"

All of these professions can overlap in some ways and have many subcategories and fields within themselves.

• Psychiatrists are medical professionals that diagnose and treat mental illnesses and prescribed medications to patients.
• More Information on Psychiatrists
• Psychologists can also prescribe medications and diagnose mental illnesses but they are known mainly for conducting field research studies that cater to the specific field they are affiliated with. (social/behavioral)
• More Information on Psychologists
• Therapists are licensed and state certified professionals that treat people with mental illnesses, disorders, and disabilities with the absence of prescriptions. They treat clients through different remedial or recreational types of services. 
• Art Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Counselors are often interchangeable with therapists, and their main difference depends on certain certifications,degrees, and licensures they have obtained. Counselors "counsel" and guide their clients through difficult or troubling times in their life, i.e Family and Marriage counseling.
• Substance Abuse Counseling

Do you believe these careers are useful or just another gimmick to take your money?

Would you ever consider visiting one of the professionals above or would you feel too ashamed?