Visible characteristics determine risk of being teased and excluded for children with special needs

Objective: We investigated bullying in schools experienced by children with special needs to discern its prevalence based on the visible and functional characteristics of a special need.

Participants: 159 child/parent dyads were recruited using a mailed survey to 1,199 patients of the Special Kids' Support Center, and 112 child/parent dyads through a convenience sample of 331 patients visiting four clinics. The total sample was 271 participants of 1,530 eligible school-aged special needs children.

Methods: Based on the reported clinical diagnoses, children with a special need invisible to a casual observer were coded as “invisible.” Children indicating the use of a wheelchair, braces, or other mobility aid were coded as having a mobility need. Children responding “yes” to a question regarding trouble learning were coded as having learning trouble.

Results: 39% of children with an “invisible” need were teased compared to 21% in the “visible” grouping. In an analysis by the functional nature of the special need, children requiring equipment for mobility were least likely to be teased. For children with trouble learning, teasing and exclusion from play were reported at about double the rate of children with no trouble learning.

Conclusion: Children with visible special needs are at less risk of being teased than children with an invisible need, a perhaps counterintuitive result. This has important implications for designing, implementing and evaluating bullying prevention programs and policies.