Dave Is Brave

The whole world seems to be suffering from bullying these days and parents are often at a loss to know what to do about it. This affects children who are on the autism spectrum as well and it is difficult to know which route to take to show kids that this is not acceptable behaviour. Kids with autism can often show intelligence far beyond their years and it is this that makes them stand out from the crowd and makes them the target for bullies. The problem is that they don’t understand why it’s happening or know what to do about it.

We’ve introduced the Dave is Brave pack, which is designed to help children in this situation.

Dave is Brave consists of several CDs and learning tools to show children of all capabilities how to cope with bullying and how to work out arguments by striving to become ‘buddies’. The book is easy to read and has realistic pictures to demonstrate language, assertiveness and reconciliation skills in a fun and engaging way.

The pack was created by Amanda Gray, a special education and early childhood teacher and it forms part of the Learn to Be Buddies series.

This is an invaluable pack and I highly recommend it.

If you’d like to find out more about the book and have a look at the content, you can see it on YouTube.

Autism Affected Children Being Bullied

Children who are on the autism spectrum are sometimes the subject of bullying by their peers. Often, children with this syndrome display exceptional levels of intelligence and it is this that other kids seem to find terribly disturbing. Of course, when kids see something out of the norm they will pick on it without exception. However, the victim will have no way out and usually doesn’t understand why it is happening.

Schools are also left with a worrying problem because parents of autistic children will complain, and rightly so. Most schools have introduced support systems for children on the autism spectrum and this has helped to minimise the amount and impact of classroom bullying. It hasn’t wiped it out completely, but that probably amounts to changing human nature.

The question is what impact does this bullying have on a child on the autism spectrum?

For parents of these kids who are being victimised, a US site called ianproject.org has set up an online survey where parents across the world can write down what has been happening. Also on this site, parents can interact with other parents and share tips and advice on their next best move.

The survey is open for parents with children between six and fifteen and is meant to give a clearer picture of what is going on in schools today. It is only open for a couple of months so those who want to participate should do so at the earliest opportunity.

"That will provide some hard evidence for parents who are going into a principal's office and trying to say this is not just this little thing that happened here with my kid. This is something that is a pattern that is happening everywhere. These children are especially vulnerable."

Every voice counts so if you have something to say, go and say it.