Alexian docs look to fight special needs bullying,

Bullying in schools has long been an unfortunate fact of growing up.

The common thought is that bullies, either out of cruelty, empowerment or to due to some issue at home, target the weakest, the least likely to be able to defend his or herself.

But as special needs students are increasingly being integrated with the rest of the student population, bullying of those students is becoming an issue that needs to be addressed more directly, said Dr. Cliff Saper, a psychologist at Alexian Brothers Health System, which has mental health services at locations in Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village and Arlington Heights.

“We are often seeing depression or suicidal thoughts,” said Saper, who is the executive director of intensive outpatient services at Alexian. “They are acting out at school, or they don’t even want to go to school. We often find out it is because they are being bullied.”

Saper said, in his experience, special needs is the second-most likely reason for a child to be bullied, behind only sexual identity. In response, Alexian has spent the last year with an increased effort to reach out to schools, caretakers, parents and students to try to lessen the problem. The health system hosted a conference Friday in Hoffman Estates to teach those groups about tactics to avoid or respond to bullying, how to deal with schools that may be unresponsive and legal recourse if the problem becomes too severe.

“It’s about how not to feed into the bully, not to feed into those threats and harassments,” he said.

Jackie Rhew, coordinator of school anxiety and school refusal, said responding to bullies largely depends on the victim’s own social skills. She said some try to use deflection to hold firm and not antagonize the bully, while others talk to a parent or teacher.

Rhew said most bullying happens outside the classroom in areas with less supervision, such as locker rooms. But it still occurs in the classroom, sometimes even by the teacher, but not always on purpose. She said this is more an issue of frustration, when a special needs student may be unintentionally disrupting the class.

“Sometimes, the student will be distracting the class and the teacher will have a hard time with it and let it show,” she said.

Another part of the problem, Rhew said, are bystanders who are neither the victims nor the bullies, but are scared to get involved.

Alexian has been working with local school districts, including Township High School District 211, to find ways to combat the issue.

Schaumburg High School psychologist Jeannette Ardell, who is in charge of anti-bullying programs and tactics at the district, said one of the major reasons are students who are unwilling to report bullying for fear they will either face retaliation or will be ostracized for “snitching.”

“That’s exactly the word they use; they do not want to be seen as a snitch,” she said. “They are afraid the bully will direct that attention at the person who reported it.”

It’s usually easy for the bullies or their friends to spot who reported the incidents, as people will see the bystander or the victim leaving an administrator’s office, and word travels fast through high school hallways.

To address that issue, the district has an anonymous tip line so students can report bullying online or with a phone call. The reports go directly to an administrator who will investigate the report.

Experts said bullies like to target those who are less likely to retaliate, which is an increased concern for special needs students. Those students increasingly have been integrated with the rest of the student body, with the intention of having them not feel isolated or ostracized, which will build important social skills. The drawback, however, is there are more possibilities for them to be targeted.

At the Friday Alexian event, organizers wanted to not only call attention to how to handle bullying and anxiety with special needs students, but also success stories. Hannah Thompson, a senior at Elmhurst College who uses a wheelchair and cannot communicate verbally, addressed the group via a text-to-speech program about moving beyond being just “the girl in the wheelchair” and establishing her own identity.

Now on the verge of graduating with a communications degree and in a sorority, she recalled a sense of isolation she had in high school, something she has since overcome. For her part, Thompson credited the special education department at Glenbrook South High School for helping her reach where she is today.

“I remember at Senior Night, which was the party after graduation,” she said. “I had no one to spend time with. I ended up calling my parents and going home. I tried so hard to teach them about students with disabilities, but they never caught on. So I moved on.”

In the end, both Saper and Rhew said they still think the special needs students are better off being integrated with the rest of the student body.

Saper said the issue needs to be addressed with the other students, and those with special needs should not be isolated simply out of fear of bullying.

“You don’t want to warehouse these kids,” Saper said. “You want to use it as an opportunity to teach other children.”

Found Here: http://triblocal.com/arlington-heights/2012/02/21/alexian-docs-look-to-fight-special-needs-bullying-anxiety/