Self Advocacy: Bullying

Here at Community Advocates we are very excited and working hard on the last details of our 4^th Community Inclusion Conference. This Conference is going to be on October 22, 2010 from 8.30 am to 3.30 pm, at the Radisson Hotel in Downtown Kalamazoo. And we are setting precedent; it’s going to be the first time the Sprout Film Festival is going to be used as a Plenary and as a kick off for discussion in the afternoon workshops. Themes discussed in these years conference:

Self-Advocacy: Bullying

Autism: Transition

Community Inclusion: Social Networking

You can register online, just click here: https://acrobat.com/#i=hfDoIvCsAx2NwvFa*8KvSA. If you have any trouble downloading it just click here:

2010 Inclusion Conference Registration Brochure3-FINAL_distributed_0001

Also I want to invite you to the 1st Sprout Film Festival that same day at the Radisson beginning at 7.00 Pm. For more info click here: FB

Our presenter for the Self Advocacy: Bullying Workshop is Lisa Freeman. She shared a little bit of her story and her mission with us.

“My entire family/dogs have been abused in some form, but we haven't stayed in those situations, we've been healed, restored, and gotten free, and that's what we share with others, how they can get help/safe when bullied or abused, we also talk about prevention.”

Our dogs have very distinct positions and we use their stories to share important learning techniques. The way we teach is very unique. We do not stereotype or single out the bullies. We educate. Because truthfully all of us can bully someone at certain times. Yet, we explain what TRUE BULLIES are, that they do it all the time. And at the end of the presentation, the dogs put on a fun trick presentation to reinforce what we have learned.

My dealing with special needs is this: all four of my children were born with varying disabilities. My son, Brian, just passed away three weeks ago.
He had Asperger's and a rare heart condition. Doctors said he'd only live to be 1, yet he had an amazing faith and lived to be 22. He was bullied his entire life, yet he lived and died forgiving his bullies and even befriending them. That is why when we found a jar of change Brian had been saving after he passed; we decided to make a CHANGE of Heart for Brian and others like him by raising the money to go all over the USA to educate others on how to stop abuse, bullying and violence. More about our mission and what we hope to do can be found by logging onto Brian's page @ http://www.takeabiteoutofabuse.com/change.html

Our family/dogs have presented at the ARC Shiawassee, RAVE, Peckham in Lansing, and lots of schools, churches, nursing homes all over Michigan.”

Also we recommend visiting her blog Abuse bites. We’re looking forward to meet her and her family on October 22th at our Conference.

And now we are going to share a little bit of more info about: Bullying among Children and Youth with Disabilities and Special Needs

What is bullying?

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength. Often, it is repeated over time. Bullying can take many forms, such as hitting, kicking, or
shoving (physical bullying), teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying), intimidation through gestures or
social exclusion (nonverbal bullying or emotional bullying), and sending insulting messages by text
messaging or e-mail (cyber bullying).

What is known about bullying among children with disabilities and special needs?

There is a small but growing amount of research literature on bullying among children with
disabilities and special needs. This research indicates that these children may be at particular
risk of being bullied by their peers. For example, research tells us that:

• Although little research has been conducted on the relation between learning disabilities (LD)
and bullying, available information indicates that children with LD are at greater risk of being teased
and physically bullied (Martlew & Hodson, 1991;Mishna, 2003; Nabuzoka & Smith, 1993;Thompson, Whitney, & Smith, 1994).

• Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are more likely than other
children to be bullied. They also are somewhat more likely than others to bully their peers
(Unnever & Cornell, 2003).

• Children with medical conditions that affect their appearance (e.g., cerebral palsy, muscular
dystrophy and spina bifida) are more likely to be victimized by peers. Frequently, these children
report being called names related to their disability (Dawkins, 1996).

• Obesity also may place children at higher risk of being bullied. In a study of children aged 11–16,
researchers found that overweight and obese girls (aged 11–16) and boys (aged 11–12) were more
likely than normal-weight peers to be teased or to be made fun of and to experience relational
bullying (e.g., to be socially excluded). Overweight and obese girls were also more likely to be
physically bullied (Janssen, Craig, Boyce, & Pickett,
2004).

To be continued......