Bullying Linked To ADHD
Children With ADHD Are More Likely to Bully and Be Bullied.
Is there a relationship between bullying and an ADHD diagnosis? A recent study shows that ADHD children are more likely to be involved in bullying. How much more likely?
Stockholm, Sweden
A recent Stockholm study of 577 children shows that students with ADHD are
- Four times more likely to be bullies
- Ten times more likely to be bullied
February 2008 Issue
The new study is reported in the February issue of the journal Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 577 fourth graders were followed for a year. Every fourth grader in a city near Stockholm was tracked. Study co-author Dr. Anders Hjern, professor at the University of Uppsala in Stockholm specializing in pediatric epidemiology, states that it is important to observe students with ADHD and how they interact with peers. These kids could me making life very difficult for others. They could also be displaying these behaviors because they have been bullied. [Linda Carroll, msnbc, January 29, 2008]
William Pollack of Harvard
Assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, William Pollack, says, "You can’t learn if you’re being bullied, if every day you’re frightened of how you’re going to be treated. Bullies often need help with other issues. It’s not uncommon, for instance, to find that the aggressor is acting out because he’s depressed. And often, the kids who are doing the bullying have been bullied themselves."
Pollack also states, "If there are a bunch of bullied kids together, they can stand the bully down. They just have to say, ‘Why are you treating my friend this way?’ The bully will often move on." Pollack cautions parents against calling the bully’s parents stating that you don’t know what that phone call will produce. The parent may be encouraging the behavior or the child may be severely punished. He suggests that parents group together and visit the school to express concern. [Linda Carroll, msnbc, January 29, 2008]
Alan Kazdin
Child development specialist, Alan Kazdin, says that 4-12% of the population may have ADHD and medication is not the answer for the bullying behaviors. Medication will help the children focus but does not handle the aggression that comes with the diagnosis of ADHD. Kazdin is president of the American Psychological Association and the director of the Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic at Yale University.
Prevalence of Bullying
Dr. Joyce Nolan Harrison of John Hopkins School of Medicine states that bullying is most common in grades 6 through 10. 30% of students have reported that they were involved with bullying. [Linda Carroll, msnbc, January 29, 2008]
Steps To Respect
Committee for Children has two programs available to teach children about bullying prevention. Level Two is for grades 3-5 and Level Three is for grades 4-6. The Steps to Respect kits include:
- Program guide
- Training manual and DVD
- 11 fully scripted skill-building lessons (each takes 2-3 class periods)
- Suggestions on how to incorporate each lesson into subject areas
- Classroom DVD
- Literature units with award-winning books
- 6 classroom posters
Not only do these curriculums address bullying and how to prevent it, they also address bystander issues. Students that may be walking past a bullying situation are shown how to safely intervene in Steps to Respect. Barbara Coloroso, author of The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander, states, "Steps to Respect is one of the few programs that addresses the critical role of the bystander and emphasizes the responsibility of all members of the school community to decrease bullying."
There are many effective programs schools can use to reduce bullying.
Related articles: Home-Schooling Is Expanding, Smile! Bully Cameras Are On
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2008 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
