Prevalence of bullying
Autistic youth report higher rates of peer victimization and bullying than individuals with other developmental disorders and other at-risk groups. Adams cites research that revealed 35% of teens with autism experience at least one form of bullying every day and 46% at least once a week (2:55). Bullying, he continues, is correlated and associated with internalized anxiety and depression, poor academic performance, and suicidal ideation and attempt (5:14). Given such statistics and outcomes, proactive strategies and solutions must be explored before bullying starts (7:32). The speaker suggests parents and caretakers ask adolescents about their lived experiences and perceptions and how/when they want to deal with a given situation. He urges viewers to consider social implications for youth to which parents/caregivers are not generally privy (9:30).
Girls’ and Boys’ guide to end bullying
The speaker introduces the Girls’ and Boys’ Guide to End Bullying (G/BGEB), a web-based intervention library to help teens and adolescents develop strategies for dealing with and preventing bullying (11:25). Unlike other anti-bullying curricula, these programs are comprehensive and available to individual students, parents, and teachers free of charge (19:03). These guides are based on empirically tested anti-bullying principles and provide specific actions for specific types of bullying and peer victimization (20:20). The programs aim to empower students to take positive action, teach bystanders and victims proper strategies to stop bullying effectively, and develop student empathy and self-awareness to uphold their sense of self-efficacy in taking action (21:48). The presenter differentiates peer victimization from bullying, noting that peer victimization is defined by the victim instead of the characteristics of an imbalanced peer relationship (e.g., bullying) (30:47).
Adams outlines the Girls’ Guide to End Bullying online modules, quizzes, and PDFs, highlighting tools for controlling emotions and how to talk to adults (36:20). He describes the teacher and parent manuals (39:33) and re-emphasizes the benefits of adolescents taking the lead in victimization situations and learning.
Guide breakdown
The guide is organized into five specific bullying types: Physical, Verbal, Sexual, Relational, and Cyber. Information for each type of bullying is arranged into five sections accompanied by video representations and discussion questions:
- Recognizing bullying
- What happens after the bullying
- What to do if you see someone being bullied
- What to do if bullying is happening to you
- Bringing it together with highlights and things to think about
G/BGEB is set up for individuals to use the parts of the curricula that suit their needs best. The curricula have been incorporated into women’s history classes, health/wellness/disease prevention, first-year orientations, and school counselor handbooks (44:38). Adams provides acknowledgments and thanks before the Q&A (46:35), where he discusses bullying related to gender and sexuality, curriculum language options, resources for younger kids, and much more.
