Bullying Children With Disabilities

You want to protect your child from life’s bumps and bruises, especially from being singled out by other children because of a disability. It can be heartbreaking to learn that your child is being bullied – or to see it firsthand. But there are things you should know and do to help the situation. Your child has rights that protect them and can even put a stop to a bad situation. And, as always, you can be their strongest advocate.

What Is Bullying?

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior where one child has (or thinks they have) more power than another. Children with disabilities are at a higher risk for bullying because of their physical and intellectual vulnerabilities and social skills differences.

Bullying happens in person or online in many different ways, including:

• Name-calling, teasing, or trying to embarrass someone.
• Purposely trying to give a child with allergies a food they can’t have.
• Inappropriate sexual comments.
• Hitting, punching, kicking, pushing, tripping, spitting, or threatening to do harm.
• Leaving someone out on purpose or telling other children not to be friends with a child.
• Breaking or stealing someone’s things.
• Spreading lies or rumors.

If your child is being bullied, you might notice changes in them, such as:

• Depression and anxiety that show up as more sadness or loneliness, changes in sleeping and eating, or less interest in things they used to like doing. See our Mental Health page for more on this subject.
• Health issues or body complaints like feeling sick, tired, frustrated, or sore more often.
• A drop in their grades or motivation to do things.
• Repeatedly not wanting to go to school.

If your child is able to talk, they might tell you about the bullying directly but not know what to call it. For example, a child might share with you that they have a new friend at school, but when you hear about how the “friend” treats your child, you know something is wrong. You can help your child figure out who is and isn’t a friend. If your child is nonverbal, you might notice fear or other negative reactions to school – or to certain other children.

What Can I Do to Help?

If you believe your child is being bullied, there are a number of things you can do to help. The first is to pay attention to the situation and decide to take action. Many people, even today, don’t understand bullying and tell you or your child: “it will just go away,” “ignore it,” or “just stand up for yourself.” But in your gut you know there is more that you and your child’s school can do.

If you believe your child is being bullied, you can:

• Be supportive, ask for details, and tell them it’s not their fault.
• Get the facts. Is only your child being bullied, or are others? Talk to other parents in your child’s class or connect with other parents in your community for tips and ideas.
• Talk to your child’s teacher right away. Ask the teacher if they have seen your child being bullied, what steps they took to stop the bullying, and what they will do to prevent it in the future.
• If the teacher can’t or won’t help, write down your concerns and give them to the principal. Ask the principal to respond quickly.
• Keep good notes on the situation and what you and the school are doing. You might need these later if the situation needs to go to the superintendent or a lawyer.
• Know that federal law protects children with disabilities, requiring the school to act right away to investigate the issue, take steps to stop the bullying, and prevent it from happening again.
• Ask for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meeting right away. Be persistent, and use the meeting to discuss possible solutions and the impact the bullying has on your child’s academic performance or behavior. If the bullying is preventing your child from receiving a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), the ARD committee must revise the student’s IEP.
• Ask for a 504 meeting immediately (if your child gets services under Section 504) for the Section 504 team to decide if your child is still receiving a FAPE, if their needs have changed because of the bullying, and if they should get any additional or different services.
• Ask about the school’s anti-bullying policies and procedures. Texas law requires that every public school have this. If your school does not, maybe you and other parents you know can help them develop some right away.
• Be persistent. Keep talking to your child and to the school to see if the problem has been fixed. Try to stay calm and don’t give up!

Your child has legal rights that can help if you get stuck. In Texas public schools, you have the right to ask that your child or the bully be transferred to another classroom or school because of bullying. Disability Rights Texas offers a handout how to apply for your child’s transfer. If you want to ask that the child who is doing the bullying be the one transferred, you can use the Texas Education Code for support, especially the section that says the school district may transfer the student who engaged in bullying to another classroom or school campus.

Sometimes it is difficult for schools to figure out who the bully is and who is being bullied. If your child is accused of bullying and receives special education services, know that they cannot be disciplined until a committee has reviewed what happened.

Also, individuals with disabilities are protected from discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and bullying can be a kind of discrimination. If your school isn’t doing enough to stop the bullying, you can go further – call or email Disability Rights Texas for help understanding your child’s rights. You can also contact these federal offices to file a complaint:

The U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Phone: 1-800-421-3481
The U.S. Department of Education: online complaint form

The U.S. Department of Education
Office of Special Education Programs
Phone: 1-202-245-7468

The U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
Phone: 1-877-292-3804
U.S. Department of Justice online complaint form

Parents On Bullying

“Like the bully, you may have to be relentless. Report each and every bullying incident until it stops. There is no reason to ever put up with bullying.”

“Having trusted people you and your child can turn to for encouragement and support will boost your resilience. Reach out to connect with family and real friends.”

“Remember, it is the school’s responsibility to stop bullying.”



“Last but not least, find a teacher or administrator at your child’s school who will help.”