Bullying in Schools: Speech Language Pathologists’ Responses to Specific Bullying Incidents

Gordon W Blood Kathryn Ldecker

doi:10.4172/2375-4427.1000121

Abstract

Objective: The perceptions of school-based Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) about the seriousness of different bullying incidents, the likelihood of their intervention, and their selection of management strategies were examined. The following hypotheses were tested: 1) SLPs view all four types of bullying of children with SLI (Speech Language Impairment) as equally serious, 2) SLPs are equally likely to intervene in all four types of bullying of children with SLI, and 3) SLPs are likely to use similar intervention strategies in all four types of bullying of children with SLI. Methods: A mailed survey describing 4 types of bullying (physical, verbal, relational and cyber) of students with Specific Language Impairment was completed by 436 SLPs (93.1% female; mean age=45.6 years, SD=13.9). Results: A majority (89%) of SLPs perceived the bullying as serious, and 87% were likely to intervene. SLPs consistently rated relational bullying as less serious than the other types of bullying. There was a significant positive correlation between two constructs; the more likely an SLP perceived the bullying vignette as serious, the more likely s/he reported some intervention. A factor analysis of 14 bullying management strategies found 3 main factors: (1) reporting the incident and consulting with other personnel, (2) teaching the child self-defense strategies, and (3) reassuring and comforting the victim. Conclusions: The SLPs, as a group, did not view all four types of bullying of children with SLI as equally serious. They also were not equally likely to intervene in all four types of bullying of children with SLI or report using similar intervention strategies in all four types of bullying of children with SLI. As a group, they responded with management strategies that assisted the child in reporting the incident, sharing information with other school personnel, bystanders and parents.

Highlights

Bullying is a major social and health problem faced by millions of school-age children around the world
The following questions were examined: 1) Do SpeechLanguage Pathologists (SLPs) view all four types of bullying of children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) as serious, 2) Are SLPs likely to intervene in all four types of bullying of children with SLI, and 3) Are SLPs likely to use similar intervention strategies in all four types of bullying of children with SLI
Seriousness and likelihood of intervention Overall, ratings indicated the majority (89%) of SLPs perceived the bullying described in the vignettes as “moderately serious”, “serious” or “very serious”

Summary

Introduction

Bullying is a major social and health problem faced by millions of school-age children around the world. Verbal, relational and cyber forms of aggression and abuse. There are four types of bullying reported in the literature: physical, verbal, relational and cyber bullying. Physical bullying involves direct contact between the victim and perpetrator (e.g. punching, spitting, hitting, kicking, tripping), whereas verbal bullying involves the use of hurtful words to another peer (e.g., name calling, insults, taunting, threats, malicious teasing), relational bullying involves using social relationships to cause harm to others (e.g., spreading rumors, gossip, ostracizing, exclusion from social groups, peer discrimination), and cyber bullying involves the use of technology (texting, cell phones, Facebook, and Twitter) for bullying. Cyber bullying is unique because it is invasive and persistent. It leaves the victim feeling powerless due to the bully’s anonymity. It leads to greater exposure to bystanders because of access to technology when compared with the other three forms of bullying [3,4,5]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion