Social Skills and Bullying

Social skills are essential skills for children and adults.  Many individuals with disabilities struggle with various aspects of social skills.   Some children can also become victims of bullying.  Some children can also become bullies. Some children can become both bullies and also the victim of bullying. 

Social skills and the demands placed on a child’s social skills increase dramatically as children enter Elementary School, then Middle School, the High School, then College, and then Adult Life.  Complicating this process is the increasing demands of being able to interact appropriately in person, but also online.  Many children and teens may not be bullied in person, but can be bullied online. They may or may not be sexually harassed in person, but they maybe online.  Parents and Teachers can struggle to help because the online environment is very different today from what it was when they were the same age.

Fortunately there are ways to help. Help the child, help the parent, help the teachers, and help the broader, parent, school, medical, and therapeutic team. 

It is also vital for parents to know that they have the right to have the School District do their part to stop any teasing, bullying, or harassment occurring at School. They also have the right to have the School team work with the child to learn appropriate social skills.

There also also outside of School supports and resources to teach students social skills, and to help parents protect their children.

Once a now adult enters college or the work place, these challenges don’t end. In some ways they become even more challenging.  While now adult children are not eligible for IEP services, they still have the right to work with their College or University, or Work place to address specific issues.  They also can choose to continue to learn social skills through work with coaches, or counselors.

There are a number of resources on this page (use the category bar in to the right, or search by topic).  Many individuals come to DeMarle INC due to issues with social skills, or teasing, or bullying. If these are concerns, then give us a call and schedule a consultation or a follow-up visit.