Anti-Bullying Programs for Students with Disabilities

Bullying is a challenge many schools face. Anti-bullying programs have gained popularity to help reduce the prevalence of bullying. One group of children it is important to consider when addressing bullying are school-aged students with disabilities. In this blog post, we discuss why anti-bullying programs are important for school-age students with disabilities, the existing research on the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs for this population, and important components of anti-bullying programs for this group of students.

Why are anti-bullying programs needed for students with disabilities?

Multiple research teams have found that students with disabilities are more likely to experience bullying than their peers without disabilities (Rose et al., 2009, 2011). For example, Rose and colleagues (2011), reported that 25-69% of students with disabilities are victims of bullying, compared to 20-30% of students without disabilities. This estimate, combined with other data posit that students with disabilities are between two and four times more likely to experience bullying than students without disabilities. Also, students with disabilities who receive their special education services in segregated settings, rather than in inclusive settings, are at an even greater risk for bullying (Rose et al., 2009). This may be because students in restrictive classroom settings are more likely to have significant support needs, putting them at higher risk for victimization (Rose et al., 2009). Additionally, a recent review indicated that students with disabilities are more likely to be victims of bullying than perpetrators of bullying (Maxfield et al., 2022).

While students with disabilities may be bullied for many of the same reasons as their peers without disabilities, disability status alone can result in victimization (Badger et al., 2024). Some potential factors that may put students with disabilities more at risk for being victims of bullying include having less developed social and communication skills than peers, engaging in behaviors and having strong interests that are considered atypical or do not align with dominant norms, being kept physically separate from peers, and not having the skills needed to report bullying (Gazelle & Ladd, 2003; Kaukiainen et al., 2002; Rose et al., 2009; Whitney et al., 1992). Overall, these risk factors indicate a need for systematic approaches to address bullying in students with disabilities.

What do we know about the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs for students with disabilities?

There is limited research on anti-bullying interventions for students with disabilities. Researchers have indicated that there are few studies focused on decreasing bullying for students with disabilities (Badger et al., 2024; Houchins et al., 2016; Maxfield et al., 2022). Existing anti-bullying interventions that included students with disabilities have had relatively small effects (Badger et al., 2024; Maxfield et al., 2022) and were considerably variable with a lack of standardization (Badger et al., 2024). Badger and colleagues found that only three anti-bullying interventions were developed specifically for students with disabilities (Abdulkader, 2017; Humphrey et al., 2013; Segura, 2012). Thus, it is difficult to pinpoint what effective anti-bullying programs should look like for students with disabilities.

What should be the focus of an anti-bullying program for students with disabilities?

Badger and colleagues (2024) assessed anti-bullying programs to determine which components were most effective. While they reported small effects for the interventions overall, there were a few programs that had more positive outcomes. Some components of these programs helped reduce the perpetration of bullying (e.g., social-emotional learning, cognitive behavioral therapy) as well as victimization (e.g., collaborative peer activities and a combination of targeted and whole-school strategies). Overall, Badger and colleagues offered the following four suggestions for designing anti-bullying programs for students with disabilities.

1. Use a whole-school approach to anti-bullying. A whole-school approach to anti-bullying focuses on addressing bullying in the larger context, not just at the individual level. This is particularly important for addressing victimization of disabled students, who are susceptible to exclusion and discrimination. Addressing bullying as a whole school is necessary for promoting an accepting and inclusive climate. Learn more about whole-school approaches to anti-bullying in our recent blog post.
2. Focus on social skills and network building among students with and without disabilities. Some specific ways education professionals can promote friendship skills among students with and without disabilities include:
   1. Implement a buddy system or peer mentoring, such as the Best Buddies Friendship Program.
   2. Role play peer interaction, such as having students act out short skits or use puppets to act out how to prevent or respond to bullying.
   3. Use video modeling, an effective strategy for increasing social skills in students with disabilities, in which they observe peer models engage in desirable social behaviors. See this resource for an overview of video modeling.
3. Involve families and communities in anti-bullying initiatives. Some specific ways education professionals can do this include:
   1. Exchange information with families about bullying, such as the prevalence, schoolwide policies, and strategies that are in place to address bullying.
   2. Invite community members (e.g., disability advocates, developmental disability council personnel) to speak to students about topics such as inclusivity, acceptance, and belonging.
   3. Elicit and incorporate feedback from families and community members about how to promote inclusivity in the school, intentionally drawing on the voices of disabled people.
4. Incorporate practice activities for students with and without disabilities. In addition to the hands-on practice opportunities listed above related to social skills, education professionals can also try these activities:
   1. Teach and reinforce anti-bullying expectations through motivating activities that use repetition, such as a song or chant.
   2. Plan and adapt activities so that all students can meaningfully participate and feel like they belong. For example, in a game of Red Light Green Light, education professionals can ask a student to use their communication system to give the commands in addition to verbally saying them.

In conclusion, students with disabilities are at an increased risk for experiencing bullying. Using an anti-bullying program that specifically focuses on students with disabilities and utilizes the strategies we described above may help reduce the prevalence of bullying in all children including those with disabilities.

References

Abdulkader, W. F. A. K. (2017) The effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral therapy program in reducing school bullying among a sample of adolescents with learning disabilities. International Journal of Educational Sciences, 18(1-3), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/09751122.2017.134675

Badger, J. R., Nisar, A., & Hastings, R. P. (2024). School-based anti-bullying approaches for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities: A systematic review and synthesis. Journal of Research in Special Education Needs, 24(3), 747-757. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12665

Gazelle, H. & Ladd, G. W. (2003). Anxious solitude and peer exclusion: A diathesis-stress model of internalizing trajectories in childhood. Child Development, 74(1), 257-278. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00534

Houchins, D. E., Oakes, W. P. & Johnson, Z. G. (2016). Bullying and students with disabilities: A systematic literature review of intervention studies. Remedial and Special Education, 37(5), 259–273. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932516648678

Humphrey, N., Lendrum, A., Barlow, A., Wigelsworth, M. & Squires, G. (2013) Achievement for all: Improving psychosocial outcomes for students with special education needs and disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 24(4), 1210–1225.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2012.12.008

Kaukiainen, A., Salmivalli, C., Lagerspetz, K., Tamminen, M., Vauras, M., Mäki, H. et al. (2002). Learning difficulties, social intelligence, and self-concept: Connections to bully-victim problems. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 43(3), 269–278. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9450.00295

Maxfield, T., Park, E. Y. & Blair, K. S. C. (2022). Synthesis of bullying interventions for individuals with disabilities: A meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral Education, 32, 474–499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-021-09466-x

Rose, C. A., Espelage, D.L. & Monda-Amaya, L. E. (2009). Bullying and victimization rates among students in general and special education: A comparative analysis. Educational Psychology, 29(7), 761–776. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410903254864

Rose, C. A., Monda-Amaya, L. E. & Espelage, D. L. (2011). Bullying perpetration and victimization in special education: A review of the literature. Remedial and Special Education, 32(2), 114–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932510361247

Segura, B. P. (2012). The superheroes social skills program: a study examining an evidence-based program for elementary-aged students with autism spectrum disorders who are frequently bullied. [PhD thesis, University of Utah].

Whitney, I., Nabuzoka, D. & Smith, P. K. (1992). Bullying in schools: Mainstream and special needs. Support for Learning, 7(1), 3–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9604.1992.tb00445.x

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