Monday, February 22, 2010

Why Are Children with Disabilities Bullied?

A professor of language and development and psychology addressed an insidious problem schools in today's Long Island Press: "Why Are Children With Disabilities Bullied?"

Dr. Ellenmorris Tiegerman, the founder and Executive Director of the School for Language and Communication Development and Professor Emeritus at the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychology Studies, explains why children with disabilities can become the targets for unstable youths looking to wield aggressive power. She discusses how students with disabilities can be perceived as "unpopular," may withdraw out of shame or may have difficulty expressing their fears to caregivers. She advocates implementing stronger curricula to develop social skills to counteract these trends.

You can read the column here. For more information about bullying, also check out the book Bully-Free Classroom from the CeDIR library.

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