Supporting Neurodivergent children with bullying

The unfortunate reality for Autistic, ADHD and other Neurodivergent young people, is that they are at higher risk of expereincing bullying at some point in their childhood. The children around them are still developing their own empathy and acceptance of difference. In reality, young people's interactions can be harsh and cruel at times. Espechially when someone behaves in a way that marks them out as not typical. Neuro-typical young people will often test out various relational interactions; making social interaction an unpredictable and distressing place for anyone with more consistent thinking or who takes things said and done to them as a fixed representation of thier relationship with that person.

In most mainstream settings, the constructs and adults around them don't always role-model great acceptance. With encouragement and even enforcement of certain so called 'normal' behaviours and punishment of behaviours that might just be essentail to a childs regulation. Then there is the ways we teach how to manage bullying. Often without much reflection on our own expereinces as a child and with advice that lacks realism. For example: 'tell an adult.' Yes, ok. An definite plan. Yet if we say this and the child takes that to mean any adult, the nearest one, as soon as it happens, in front of a crowd including the bully...... is this realistcally always going to help? Find a trusted adult, tell them in private. Often a strong reaction can be fuel to the bullies fire.

In this webinar I will be drawing on two decades of expereince supporting Neurodivergent people and their families. It is something I wish I had less expereince in supporting people with but at the very least this will give me plenty of practical examples and strategies.

We will look at each potential stage of exposure to bullying. With risk factors and protective strategies to reduce risk of it happening in the first place. Followed by guidance around supporting someone who is being bullied. Finishing with considerations around supporting someone expereincng trauma from past expereinces of bullying.