Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt
How?
|
Prevention. If a kid is about to slug another kid, a failure has already occurred (possibly many failures). Bullying is the result of quite a bit going on long before the bully even meets the victim, and not only admitting that but seeking to understand it is the key to solving the problem. We are now discovering why certain children are targeted as victims, and it has a lot to do with social ability. A child being victimized by bullying often is entering into a vicious circle which could be in place for a lifetime. If children can be taught nonverbal communication and social cues, they not only won't be as likely to be targeted, but will also see great improvement in many areas of their lives. That's a big deal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walt
I don't see anything in that link that will help a kid deal with getting bullied on a daily basis. The author of the article claims "The number one need of any human is to be liked by other humans" and has a book titled "It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success". I'm not trying to be dismissive but the purpose of that article and the subsequent advice seems to be to tell the kids getting picked on that it’s their fault and they need to change their behavior so that everyone will like them.
|
Blame is entirely irrelevant (and having problems with social cues can be blamed more on parents and teachers than children, if you had to assign blame for whatever reason). I'm not suggesting that the bully is right, or that the victim has some fault or deserves it. What the evidence suggests is that bullying can be prevented if prospective victims can be brought up to speed socially speaking.
We are a social species. Those of us more adept at social interaction have a real advantage across the board. The fact is that one of those advantages would seem to be that you're less likely to be the target of bullying.
We're not just talking about unchecked aggression here, Dude.