CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. School Bullying: What It Is and Why It Hurts
2. The Role of Bullies, Victims, and Witnesses
3. Factors Contributing to Bullying and Violence
4. Screening and Assessment
5. Treatment For Children and Adolescents
6. Prevention and Intervention
7. Legal and Ethical Issues

Supplements
Case Studies
Fact Sheets
References
Resources

The ABCs of Bullying
Addressing, Blocking, and Curbing School Aggression

Behavioral Problem

Before a functional behavioral assessment can be effectively implemented, it is necessary to pinpoint the behavior causing discipline problems. Many factors play a role in a student's inability to behave appropriately or to learn. These include:ref

• Deficiencies in basic living and opportunities for development:
  1. Lack of food in the home
  2. Inadequate clothing-substandard housing (also being homeless)
  3. Lack of transportation
  4. Family income at or below the poverty line
  5. Immigrant-related concerns (e.g., limited English, legal status)
• Observable problems:
  1. School adjustment problems
  2. Relational difficulties (insensitivity to others, dysfunctional family situation)
  3. Substance abuse
  4. Abuse by others (physical, sexual)
  5. Emotional upset-delinquency
• General stressors and underlying psychological problems associated with them:
  1. External stressors (perceived) and deficits in support system
  2. Competence deficits (low self-efficacy/self-esteem, skill deficits)
  3. Threats to self-determination/autonomy/control
  4. Perceiving threats to valued relationships
  5. Psychopathology
• Crises and emergencies:
  1. Personal/familial (such as domestic violence)
  2. Subgroup (such as the death of a classmate)
  3. School-wide (such as a shooting on campus)
• Difficult transitions:
  1. Associated with stages of schooling (entering or leaving middle school)
  2. Associated with stages of life (puberty)
  3. Associated with changes in life circumstances (moving, death in the family)

Behavioral Causes

Because problem behavior stems from a variety of causes, it is best to examine the behavior from as many different perspectives as possible. It is best for the student when schools have teams of teachers, mental health professionals, and school nurses to examine problems. This allows the entire team to reflect on what purposes are being served when the student engages in the bullying behavior.

Questions that can help the team decide on appropriate intervention include:ref

• Is the problem behavior linked to a skill deficit? Does the student understand what behavior is expected of him or her? Does the student realize that he or she is engaging in unacceptable behavior, or has that behavior simply become a habit?
• Does the student have the skill (or knowledge), but for some reason not the desire, to change his or her behavior? Sometimes a student can perform a skill or behavior, but does not behave consistently or in all school settings. This is often called a "performance deficit." In some cases, the student's behavior is being rewarded by attention from teachers or peers. In this case, the team may need to ask additional questions when developing an assessment plan. These may include:
  1. Is there value to the student acting in this particular way?
  2. Is the problem associated with certain social or environmental conditions?
  3. What current rules or routines does the student consider irrelevant?
• If the problem is both skill- and performance-based, what supports does the student need to help him or her adapt the behavior (e.g., disrupting classroom, not listening) more appropriately? These supports may be school or mental health supports as well as skill-based supports (e.g., anger management, relaxation, communication skills).