Every single day, thousands of children are bullied or mistreated in schools around the country. Studies show that around 1 in 10 kids are victimized by their fellow peers. This is a saddening fact to hear, but what most people do not know is 57% of teenagers with special needs, intellectual disabilities, or other impairments have been bullied in school, according to a 2012 survey from Disability Scoop. They are at a higher risk of being bullied than kids without these disabilities. While our society is very informed about bullying among juveniles, they are completely ignorant of the fact that more than half of kids with special needs are repeatedly being abused. Plus, they are powerless to defend themselves because of their disabilities! It is necessary for the public to be aware of this mistreatment of special needs kids, because while we try to care for and protect our youth, we pay no attention to the children who are born different and cannot save themselves from the hostility of their peers. If the “Golden Rule” is to treat others the way you want to be treated, how come we disregard special needs kids who are getting mistreated every day?

Children with special needs are targeted by their fellow classmates in school simply because they act or look different from most kids. According to Alex Diaz-Granados, who was bullied in his childhood because of his cerebral palsy, “Any child with a difference, such as being a minority, being overweight, or being disabled can make them a target.” Since it is a natural human instinct to accept or be more friendly towards others who are more similar to you, kids tend to behave more aggressively to kids who are different from them; thus, they will bully them more. Since kids with social disabilities and other impairments are regarded as different, they are picked on more.

 Kids with handicaps and other special needs are also at a higher risk of getting bullied than others because of the certain symptoms of their handicaps. StopBullying, a government website dedicated to preventing bullying among youth, writes, “Kids with special health needs, such as epilepsy or food allergies, also may be at higher risk of being bullied. Bullying can include making fun of kids because of their allergies or exposing them to the things they are allergic to.” As the title “special needs” suggests, children have unique requirements which have to be met that are related to their handicaps or disabilities, and this gives their classmates easy opportunities to harass them about their symptoms. The article goes on to say, “Children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Tourette’s Syndrome may have difficulties with social interactions, sensitivities, impulsivity, and self-regulating their behavior or effectively communicating.” The juveniles with these diseases cannot help the fact that they are overly sensitive or socially awkward, and their peers use these weaknesses against them. The effects of special needs kids’ conditions add to the reasons for them getting bullied more than other kids.

The long term effects of bullying on special needs kids are alarming. Even into adulthood, bullying can make a child more likely to develop chronic low self-esteem, depression or anxiety disorders, substance use addiction, and even suicidal thoughts.

While much of our community has turned a blind eye on the mistreatment of children with developmental disabilities and social handicaps, there are still ways we can make up for our ignorance. One school created a weekly lunch program where kids with and without disabilities sat together, found things in common, and formed friendships. Another school organized wheelchair soccer night, where kids with impairments who used wheelchairs coached their peers on how to navigate them in a soccer game. These schools have gone above and beyond to ensure that their youth with special needs are included, but even small actions make a difference. Just accepting that kids with special disorders are also people is enough to inspire a change in society.

Our tendency to overlook the abuse of kids with disabilities has made us hypocrites; we continuously preach about treating others with respect, yet we ignore the problem right under our noses: more than half of kids with impairments are bullied. If we do not acknowledge this, a large portion of juveniles will live in constant fear of others; that they will never be accepted for who they are. My little brother, who has special needs, agreed, “I have been bullied because of my special needs and because I was different from my classmates.” If we do not change our ways, I fear he will have to live in a world where being different inflames hatred.

Works Cited

"Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs." Stopbullying, 23 July 2018, Accessed 29 Mar. 2019.

Diament, Michelle. "Teens with Disabilities Face High Rates of Bullying." Disability Scoop, 4 Sept. 2012. Accessed 15 Apr. 2019. The website that I used for my research on kids with developmental disabilities is called Disability Scoop. The author of my article, Michelle Diament, is one of the founders of Disability Scoop. She is a credible source because she is a journalist whose work has been published in People, The Washington Post, AARP, and more. Additionally, she has a brother with autism, so she knows what it is like to have the disorder. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a degree in political science and journalism.

Diaz-Granados, Alex. "I Was Bullied as a Child with Special Needs. Here's How You Can Protect Your Kid." Education Post, 2 Mar. 2018. Accessed 29 Mar. 2019.

"50% of Children with Special Needs Are Bullied at School. Let's Stop This!" AngelSense Blog, AngelSense, 2019. Accessed 29 Mar. 2019.