Living with autism bring many challenges, one of the most delicate and dangerous is the bullying. Kids with ASD are more propense to suffer harassment than other. To stand against it you, as parents, will need to work with the school, teachers, and classmates.
Children that have something different than others tend to be bullied at school and neighborhood. Here, at Autism Soccer, we considered ourselves to be against harassment. Through sports and recreation, we dedicate all efforts to teach family and people in general, how to properly interact with kids in the spectrum and other special needs. So please check these points and say NO to bullying!
- Talk with the them: many times, children within the spectrum don’t realize that they are being bullied, so as parents you should sit down and talk with them in a way that it will be easy for them to absolutely understand it. The teachers also must be attentive to the behavior of every kid and talk about it in the classroom, that way all the students will get that bullying is no correct. Parents and teachers need to work as a team to encourage children to talk when they are not feeling good with their surrounds.
- Make a plan: it’s important to have a plan to prevent bullying or to stop it when it’s happening; so develop point and steps, discuss it with teachers and every person that are close to your children, that way everybody will be prepared against bullying.
- Tolerance: teaching tolerance will prevent bad behavior at home, school and recreation environments. This will work with every child; start a campaign at your neighborhood, work with the school to increase the information about tolerance, join the parents in the different recreation programs that your kid attend. All those efforts can generate a good vibe and change the life of people around your family.
- Speak about ASD and other special needs: teachers that have in their classroom students with special needs, must talk with their students and make them fully understand what are the differences between them and why. Also, make them work together so they will integrate and have a feeling of belong.
- Encourage kids self-advocacy: parents, teachers, trainers, and specialists can make plans and support kids to be against bullying, but children must learn how to advocate for themselves. After they learn what and how the bullying can appear, they have to communicate their feeling and why they don’t like others behavior. When kids speak up for themselves they won’t become an easy prey for bullies.
- Know your children’s rights: many states have their own regulations against bullying and laws related to bullying children with special needs, so make a research and learn them, that way you and your kids will be protected legally in case bullying increased to the dangerous level.
- Speak up!: never be afraid to speak up for your little ones as parents, as a teacher to defend children that are being bullied, and as a student to defend yourself. Bullying is an offend to human rights, and it can never be accepted as normal behavior, so please if you are the victim or only a witness of harassment, don’t stay quiet, speak up for them and for you! Try to write down or even recording every incident, that way you will have proof when you’ll make the report, follow the correct steps and stop bullying once and for all.
Bullying has become a dangerous trend nowadays, but as humans, we cannot let it become a normal situation, speak about it with your family, siblings, friends, and neighbors. Stand up for the victims and do whatever you can to stop it. In Autism Soccer you will find a safe and bullying-free environment for your children, come and check for yourselves how your kid can develop his or her abilities and practice a great sport.
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