Massachusetts considers anti-bullying bill for children with autism in schools

From the Daily News Tribune:

BOSTON — Children tease each other. All the time in fact. Most kids understand that others tease them. But not always. Specifically, children on the autism spectrum, from those with Asperger's Syndrome to high-functioning autism, cannot always tell when others make fun of them.

"Children with special needs are more apt to be bullied," said Lucie Chansky, a member of the government affairs committee at The Arc of Massachusetts, a Waltham-based disability advocacy group. "If they're weak, and someone thinks they can take advantage of them, often they will."

In order to protect children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, state Rep. Barbara L'Italien, D-Andover, has introduced a bill that would require schools to address bullying and how to identify it at special education parent-teacher meetings.

Yesterday, the Joint Committee on Education heard testimony about L'Italien's bill.

"There's a tsunami with the number of kids with autism," said Gary Blumenthal, executive director of the Waltham-based Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers. "Every child needs help with those issues. Every tool is helpful."

Massachusetts Advocates for Children, a children and family advocacy group, cited a 2002 study by the journal Comprehensive Issues in Pediatric Nursing that found 94 percent of children with Asperger's Syndrome face torment from peers. About one out of 150 children have ASD, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Children with ASD lack social skills, said Dr. Elizabeth Caronna, a pediatrician who runs an autism clinic at the Boston Medical Center. As such, children with ASD fail to pick up on subtle clues in others, such as tone of voice or the raising of eyebrows, that indicates bullying.

D'Italien, whose child is autistic, was familiar with the problem. "They can have great difficulty understanding what's being told to them," she D'Italien said.

Children with other developmental and physical disabilities also receive torment through teasing, but the lack of social skills means "kids with autism are especially vulnerable to bullying," said Julia Landau, a senior program coordinator for Massachusetts Advocates for Children.

"Bullies find it fun to push them to the edge," Caronna said.

Often a small event, such as someone moving the pencil of an ASD student, will trigger a sometimes violent response because children with ASD do not always know how to de-escalate a situation, Caronna said.

The bill gives more tools to "special ed programs to respond to what they need in response to bullying," she said.

Federal law dictates that once a year an ASD student plus his/her teachers, parents and school administrators meet to discuss goals for the child. The law would require those at the meeting to explain to the students how to identify and deal with bullying.
The bill's advocates said they wanted anti-bullying efforts to focus on both sides, the bullies and the bullied.

"I think including education in schools about people with autism is a good thing," Blumenthal said. "The more kids know, the more sensitive they will be."

Caronna said she thought the bill left the decision on how to best educate students on bullying with the schools. Educating ASD students on bullying now leaves them better equipped to deal with adult bullies, Caronna said.

Landau said she hoped the bill would serve as a start towards other disability anti-bullying efforts.

"All children should be protected from bullying," Chansky said.