Cerebral Palsy and Bullying

Fact Checked

Cerebral palsy and bullying too often go together. Studies concerning childhood bullying suggest that children with disabilities are often the target of harassment, typically during school. There are several ways parents, teachers, and caregivers can help combat bullying, which is especially important for kids with cerebral palsy, who may be at increased risk of being bullied.

About Cerebral Palsy and Bullying

According to research, kids with cerebral palsy are often the target of bullying at school. They are also often socially excluded.[1]

There are several reasons why bullies hone in on children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, some of which include:

• Children with cerebral palsy may stand out from their other classmates.
• Bullies often think children with cerebral palsy cannot defend themselves.
• Children with special needs may have a lower “social standing” in school, making them easy targets.
• Low frustration tolerances lead to children with disabilities having more meltdowns, which bullies tend to target.
• Problems with motor skills and physical limitations, such as not running fast enough, make children targets of bullies.
• Children with assistive devices may be perceived as “weird or strange.”

Bullying can take forms in several ways. The same study states that children with cerebral palsy are often called derogatory names and excluded from social groups and activities. Teachers, too, sometimes exclude children with cerebral palsy, which heightens bullying.

They’re also physically harassed, which makes them more worried about being safe in school when compared to kids with no disabilities (see below for more information).

Why Do Kids Bully Others?

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), there is generally a set of characteristics that children prone to bullying others display:[2]

• Aggression
• Difficulty solving social problems
• Poor academic performance
• Poor social skills
• Isolation from peers
• Strained relationship with parents or caregivers
• A negative home environment

The effects are often devastating. According to Ability Path, a non-profit organization, bullying disabled children typically starts just like bullying anyone else. The impact is far more severe.[3]

For example, a few children in an elementary school thought it would be funny if they tied a boy’s shoelaces together so he couldn’t walk properly. The boy had cerebral palsy. Not only did he fall, but he sustained serious injuries. In another bullying incident, a child with special needs was forced to eat dog food while bullies tied a shirt around his eyes so that he couldn’t see.

Bullying isn’t always physical. Emotional bullying appears to be just as present as physical bullying and, in many cases, has a far longer impact.

For instance, bullies taunt disabled children by calling them stupid and teasing them when they have to go to special education classes.

Bullies can also make fun of a child’s appearance, coordination issues, the way they talk, and even the way they eat in the lunchroom.

Bullying Can Inhibit Learning

The effects of bullying have far-reaching implications. Although bullies may not taunt and ridicule other students directly in front of teachers, it still has a powerful impact that can hinder the victim’s ability to learn during class.

According to several psychologists at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), high levels of being bullied are consistent with victims receiving lower grades.

Even worse, some children, generally those in middle and high school (although it can happen with younger children as well), simply drop out and stop coming to school.[4]

Other kids who continue with school may start to resent learning and being in an academic environment because they associate it with being bullied. This makes it difficult for them to want to participate in learning, which makes any teacher instruction ineffective.

According to the study, many schools go for a “quick fix” situation when bullying occurs, which has proven over and over to be ineffective in the long run. One solution may be a comprehensive training program for all teachers that thoroughly teaches them how to address bullying in a way that can show long-term, positive results.

How to Help Children With Cerebral Palsy Who Are Bullied

If you know or suspect your child is being bullied, you have options for helping them.

Request or Update an IEP

Public schools in the U.S. offer an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to every student with special needs.

An IEP is created with the help of parents, teachers, therapists, psychologists, and school officials to identify a child’s unique school needs and, in turn, create a plan to help them succeed in school and feel safe.[5]

An IEP helps keep children safe from bullying by placing them in classes where teachers can watch over them more carefully while teaching them social skills with peers and dealing with emotional outbursts.

However, as hard as they may try, teachers cannot always catch bullies in action, as many of them are often sneaky and bully other children when they know the teacher isn’t looking. In most instances, students with an IEP are taught how to report bullying as soon as it happens.

Some children may have a difficult time discerning when bullying takes place. An IEP plan helps them learn how to detect and report bullying and the difference between keeping someone safe and “tattling.”

Talk About Bullying at Home

Parents must address and handle bullying incidents at home as soon as possible. To begin with, parents need to stress what bullying consists of to their children.

For instance, children should learn that name-calling, taking lunch money, teasing, and taunting are inappropriate actions by other children and should be reported immediately.

Children with cerebral palsy and other special needs should also understand that it’s okay to tell a teacher or adult at school when other kids are being mean to them.

Build Self-Confidence

In addition, building up a child’s confidence at home will help tremendously with how they handle bullies at school. Studies indicate that bullies tend to target children with low self-esteem and those who are unwilling to stick up for themselves.

A child with a good sense of well-being, regardless of their disability, will come across as confident and less likely to get bullied.

Talk to Teachers

If bullying reaches the point of physical abuse that harms the child, parents should always step in and contact the child’s teacher. If you feel the teacher isn’t doing enough to help your child, contact the school’s principal or board administrator.

When physical violence occurs, even among schoolchildren, it’s considered assault. Never be afraid to reach out to whoever it takes to protect your child.

National Bullying Prevention Month

Every October, many schools nationwide participate in “STOMP Out Bullying” during National Bullying Awareness Month and other times of the year.[6]

• The first Monday of each week in October is “Blue Shirt Day.” Participants wear a blue shirt each Monday. Any blue t-shirt will work, but the official “Stomp Out Bullying” shirts are available to purchase. Regardless of which shirt you choose, the goal is to create a “sea of blue” each Monday to help stand up to bullying.
• World Day of Bullying Prevention (October 7, 2024) is a kickoff event for the entire month.
• The Unapologetically Kind Campaign extends beyond October and encourages people to be kind to others and ally with and stand up for vulnerable people.
• National Culture Week in April is a time to talk about how to change the culture that supports and encourages bullying. It’s a time to shift from exclusion to inclusivity and kindness.

Follow Stomp Out Bullying for up-to-date events and campaigns to end bullying.

Bullying and Civil Rights

There isn’t a direct federal law that addresses bullying. Still, in instances where children with special needs are bullied, it falls into “discriminatory harassment,” which addresses bullying and harassment based on race, sex, disabilities, national origin, or religion.

Federally funded schools must stop bullying and harassment once it’s been detected or reported. Bullying and harassment must be persistent, create a hostile environment, and be severe enough that it interferes with the student’s school performance and ability to participate in activities.

Once the bullying has been confirmed, the school’s administration must:

• Immediately investigate the incident(s).
• Interview both the victim and the bully.
• Talk with the bully (or bullies) and relay how their actions affect the child or children they harass. Take the necessary steps to end the bullying and create an effective plan to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
• Routinely check in to ensure the harassment and bullying has ceased

If the steps above aren’t taken, the school may be in violation of the following federal laws:

• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• Title IV and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Unfortunately, some schools fail to correct the problem, despite parents complaining frequently. If your child is being bullied and you feel the school isn’t taking the appropriate steps to help stop the harassment, you have the legal right to file a formal grievance.

You can file with the school district, the U.S. Department of Education (Civil Rights Division), and the U.S. Department of Justice (Civil Rights Division).

U.S. Department of Justice Contact Information:

• Email: education@usdoj.gov
• Phone:  (202) 514-4092 or 1-877-292-3804

U.S. Department of Education Contact Information:

• Online Complaint Form: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html
• Phone: (800) 421-3481
• Email: OCR@ed.gov