Two-Thirds of Kids With Autism Have Been Bullied: Study

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This is the behavior of young primates and has nothing to do with the target being on the spectrum...

http://www.martialartsforpeace.com/page ... stics.html

"RECENT STATISTICS SHOW THAT:
1 out of 4 kids is Bullied. The American Justice Department says that this month 1 out of every 4 kids will be abused by another youth.

Surveys Show That 77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally, & physically.

In a recent study, 77% of the students said they had been bullied. And 14% of those who were bullied said they experienced severe (bad) reactions to the abuse.

1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully, or doing some "Bullying."

8% of students miss 1 day of class per month for fear of Bullies.

43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.

100,000 students carry a gun to school.

28% of youths who carry weapons have witnessed violence at home.

A poll of teens ages 12-17 proved that they think violence increased at their schools.

282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.

More youth violence occurs on school grounds as opposed to on the way to school.

Playground statistics - Every 7 minutes a child is bullied. Adult intervention - 4%. Peer intervention - 11%. No intervention - 85%."

That's a pretty strong statement to begin with, so let's take a look at how the stats add up.



Something doesn't bode right between these two pieces of information.



If BOTH of these statistics are true, that would mean that Autistics are actually less likely to be bullied than the average kid. Two thirds (actually the article say "nearly" which means it less than two thirds), is only about 66%, which is lower than stats I've seen for all students.

But then there's this in the article:



Wait. What? Now it's 42 to 49 percent? And those are the worst grades? Something isn't adding up.


Yeah, I'm not quite seeing how the article does a good job at all demonstrating that it's a bigger problem among Autistics than with other kids.

Junior high was difficult and I was the new girl and had just moved from overseas back to the U.S. and argh.....

It may be a strong statement, but it is one born of observation... unfortunately, any study of any kind dealing with this subject is entirely anecdotal...

Further... Mankind, is by its nature, a brutal and overbearing species...

Any type of jockeying for a dominant social position could easily be construed as bullying for those not high on the social chain of a particular clique. Any deviation from the social norm in any social group is met with question and often scorn... as such... even those at the top perceive themselves to be bullied...

At the recent class reunion I attended, the male that made my life a living hell told me that he always felt bullied by peer pressure to be the horrible person he was at that time...

It is, after all, a matter of perspective...

I do believe it is possible that some autistic children don't fully realize the impact of verbal bullying to the degree than those without difficulties with non-verbal communication abilities, cognitive empathy, etc.

Many of the slang terms and sarcasm went right over my head in school although I realized they were not nice; if I had google when I was growing up to look them up, it would have probably bothered me more in school. I was still aware though that others were challenging my existence.

It's also possible that some autistic children don't fully realize they are perceived as bullying others.

Particularly those with ADHD/ADD according to this study linked below. The study indicates children with autism without ADHD/ADD bully at the same rate as the general population, however it actually suggests that children with the co-morbid condition of ADHD/ADD with ASD's actually bully 4 times more than the general population.

It took me close to five decades to realize some of the comments I had made to people in my lifetime, were extremely blunt and likely hurtful. I was often in a management position, so it may be part of why others did not fully express disatisfaction at some of my blunt comments.

I have noticed it here, when individuals with less than stellar grammar and punctuation skills post. There are many autistic individuals with learning disabilities beyond the diagnosis of Aspergers, that are not capable of stellar grammar, spelling and punctuation.

There is not much doubt in my mind that if they come here and are berated for their skills, that they feel "intellectually bullied", a form of verbal bullying. Although I really think some of it is unintentional, in that some people may not take into account the percentage of autistic individuals that have learning disabilities in the real world.

The research below does not present statistics on autistics or the general population that were bullied, it presents the statistics on those researched that are the givers as well as the potential receivers of bullying behavior. I have seen similiar research that suggests that individuals with ADHD are more likely to be the recepients of bullying as well as the givers of the behavior.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1530156707000317



The primate comment is dead on. When puberty hits in middle school, it is a competitive jungle, that is much different than before that point in elementary school.

There is a pecking order going on, for status and mates, that is not significantly different than the rest of the animal kingdom. The clothing might separate us, but on the other hand it could very well enhance that competition as well.

As in the animal kingdom and even the fish tank, those perceived as weak whether it is physical, intellectual, emotional, social, or deficient in resources, can be sought out to be literally destroyed.

The civilized world has laws and schools have regulations, but without them the rules of the jungle apply.

Large school populations, don't likely help the situation. The interaction of hundreds of youths together, is a pretty recent phenomenon in the history of the human primate. It is a stressor for any social animal.

Life is a struggle for every living creature on the planet, magnified if they live the entirety of normal lifespan. Anyone that thinks that someone has it all good, is likely mistaken, or potentially happily naive. A potential benefit of some expressions of autism that some may not fully realize as part of their own reality, and in part a potential result of the condition.

Not sure if that is possible now, for those that live in the information age.

What I don't get is it seems some people seem to think because bullying happens to 'everyone' its something that should just be overlooked...I don't doubt most people have been bullied at least once, kinda hard to avoid in this society if you ask me. However I think it can be said suffering a couple instances of bullying in the distant past and having been constantly bullied/picked on throughout your years at public school are not so comparable. I mean yeah in my opinion if it had been a couple incidents I'd have probably gotten over it a long time ago.....but it was the constant bullying that really did the damage. Obviously when its more consistant it can add to ones low self esteem, feelings of worthlessness ect.

So why some people seem to just dismiss the damage that sort of thing can do with 'well everyone gets bullied' I don't really get. Of course its happened to everyone but not everyone is totally excluded from their peers via bullying, shunning ect for years as a child.

We're not in the animal kingdom........but if you think humans should destroy those they perceive as 'weaker' I can't change your mind.

Yes... we are... our classification is
Eukarya Animalia Chordata Mammalia Primates Hominidae Homo Sapien.

BUT... I NEVER said we SHOULD desdtroy non-conformity... I am saying that is what our instincts, from millions of years of evolution tell us to do... and most people cannot overcome those instincts... saying it happens... not that it should

Animalia is the classification for all non plant lifeforms that are not autotophs or heterotrophs.

http://www.jqjacobs.net/anthro/paleo/primates.html <-- this outlines some similar behaviors

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... genes.html <-- 96% similarity in genes between humans and chimps. I have noticed (via personal observation) that young humans (before they develop cognitive abilities) and young apes have many of the same behavioral patterns...

The results of the chimpanzee genome project suggest that when ancestral chromosomes 2A and 2B fused to produce human chromosome 2. The project has discovered that humans are more genetically similar to chimps than horses are to donkeys... and they can breed (NO i am not suggesting that a HUMANZEE is possible)...

They are different, but still equine. Lions and House cats are different but still feline...

We are different, and we have the cognitive capabilities to work past most of our instincts (and I agree with Nietzsche when he stated that by ignoring what we are, we become less), but those instincts are still there... we are apes.

Our behavior is not typical... I urge you to watch the following...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oft3e1K9 ... 262E18B063

There are some fascinating facts about Neurotypical behavior there that are... disturbing and enlightening... No whys, but a lot of hows... and everything michael covers in the leanback (the name of the program) is verifiable

I knew that was going to come up...of course humans are a type of animal, but basing our societies upon basic animistic instincts does not make a lot of sense considering we have more developed brains with more abilities to put intellect and such to use. So I am more arguing against the idea that bullying is just part of nature so its justified.....most humans have the ability to understand if they are causing harm to someone for their own gain and typically its not seen as good to do that. With other animals it's a bit different for instance carnivorous animals have to kill other animals in order to eat because they live on meat. Its not 'oh look a weak animal I'm going to go kill it for the hell of it.' which is what bullying more or less is.

I am very precise in what I say (or I try to be) If I condoned it or felt that because it is fact that it cannot be helped... I would have said as such. I do not think it is right... To the point where I spent a great deal of time suspended because I wouldn't let it happen to others... being 6'5 by the time I was 14 and 6'9" by graduation, I was not picked on myself, but I fought tooth and nail to prevent it in others...

i never once said it was justified... I said it happens... Not that it is right... I was pointing out that all children feel that they have been bullied... not that it is acceptable behavior...

My points were only to point out that saying it is different for autistic spectrum individuals is a bit of a matyr complex as it happens to all young humans. Or at least, in their perception, it does.

Alright I understand better now....and it does happen, I just don't know that its comparable to behavior that's more instinctual than intentional, for instance the impression I've gotten is there is an intention to cause harm for someone else I don't think that sort of thinking goes on with most animals outside humans....but I don't know I'm probably just getting caught up in specifics.

In spite of the fact that we are thousands of years domesticated, we are still just primates...

I don't think that most people can differentiate between instinctual behavior and thought... Instinct often creates emotions that they have to rationalize, which makes them have to face the choice of doing something because they "wanted to" or having no idea why they chose that path... and the latter scares the people I have discussed that with...

Not likely that many human animals could survive in the wild for long, with the rest of the animal kingdom without any tools of culture, including clothing. Not only have we become domesticated as a species we have become a weak primate, for the most part, based strictly on our inherent features.

A naked human standing toe to toe with a smaller but incredibly stronger chimpanzee in battle, does not usually provide a good result for the human.

My statement that human beings can seek out and literally destroy the weak, is not a common consequence of bullying in a civilized society among middle school kids; most of the harm is evidenced as psychological in nature. But, there is no doubt that it can be brutal.

I'm not suggesting any of this should happen, just reporting on the inherent factors that play a part in why it happens.

The increase of this behavior during puberty, is clear evidence that it is an inherent part of human nature, that we share with the rest of the animal kingdom.

A cat is a good example. The agressive differences between a domesticated cat that has been neutered and a cat that is feral is incredible. Even bred for centuries as domesticated animals the environment and hormones makes a huge difference in their quest for status, territory and mates.

Particularly if they are kept in the comfort of a climate controlled human home, de-clawed, neutered, and able to request a time when their servants provide their meals, additionally learning how to control those servants through trial and error efforts of manipulation.

Well if it's human nature to bully people I guess I am not a human as I have never had any desire to do such a thing.

Both animal and human nature varies among humans and animals, depending on environment, physiological, and psychological factors; some individuals are not as competitive as others, and are not perceived as being a bully as often as others. However, whether or not someone is perceived as a bully or their behavior is perceived as a bullying behavior, is dependent, in part, on how another individual perceives their behavior.

Some self reports of children indicate that only a minority percentage admit to bullying, however it is not reflective of the perception of their parents in many cases, nor necessarily indicative of deception by a child.

A person could use curse words against my opinion on a topic, and I likely would not see that as bullying, but another individual could definitely perceive it as a form of bullying (abusive verbal behavior, a form of bullying), depending on how that comment affected them on a personal basis.

Any time an animal or a human asserts dominant behavior over another animal or human, where that behavior is not accepted, it can be discerned as bullying behavior.

I've never had a conscious desire to bully anyone, either, but that doesn't mean that my behavior hasn't come across that way to others during the course of my lifetime.

That said, it's not unusual at all that you don't have the desire to bully anyone; the majority of adults in the population likely don't sincerely perceive themselves as having a desire to bully anyone either, if they were asked that question. It's not considered acceptable behavior, per the cultural norm in civilized societies.

But if one watches human beings closely, anywhere there is human competition there is usually evidence of the behavior either by those receiving the behavior or providing the behavior. In adults it can be much more complex as well as subtle, in effect.

Well I guess everyone who made my childhood hell had no idea they where doing anything wrong, by delibritly trying to make me feel like crap. Sorry I just really don't think it was all in my head, I realize there are misunderstandings between people but that does not really explain why someone would want to delibritly cause harm to someone who hasn't really done anything to them at all.