Bullying in our schools is an all-too-common occurrence, and this is especially true in regard to children with special needs. In our first How to Stop Bullying in New Jersey Schools article, we discussed Creating a Safe Environment for Youth with Disabilities. In this article, we are going to focus on how teachers can help prevent bullying while supporting those with special needs.
Supporting Special Needs and Preventing Bullying at School
Strategies to address student’s special needs at school can also help to prevent bullying and have positive outcomes for all students, especially tactics that use a team approach, foster peer relationships, and help students develop empathy. Some strategies include:
- Engaging students in developing high-interest activities in which everyone has a role to play in designing, executing or participating in the activity.
- Providing general up-front information to peers about the kinds of support children with special needs require, and have adults facilitate peer support.
- Creating a buddy system for children with special needs.
- Involving students in adaptive strategies in the classroom so that they participate in assisting and understanding the needs of others.
- Conducting team-based learning activities and rotate student groupings.
- Implementing social-emotional learning activities.
- Rewarding positive, helpful, inclusive behavior.
–stopbullying.gov (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
Getting Children the Support They Need
At the Law Offices of Johanna G. Burke, we have helped families throughout New Jersey attain the support their children require and deserve. We have even been through this process ourselves. Contact us today to schedule a free 30-minute consultation so we can help your child achieve his or her full potential.