Bullying and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Teacher Perspectives and the Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of bullying of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their views of the speech-language pathologist (SLP) as a source of support regarding bullying management. Method: A web-based survey was created and distributed through e-mail and Facebook. One hundred twenty-six general and special education teachers completed the survey. The majority of teachers indicated teaching elementary grades ( n = 81, 64%). The remainder indicated teaching middle school, high school, or specialized school. The teachers' experience ranged from less than 1 year to greater than 10 years. All teachers reported teaching at least one student with ASD within the past 5 years. Results: The majority of participants acknowledged bullying of children with ASD as a problem and witnessed bullying at their schools. Teachers were least likely to select SLPs as school professionals who could play a valuable role in the management of bullying. Conclusions: SLPs' training in social communication places them in a unique position to contribute to bullying management. School-based SLPs should therefore educate school personnel on the unique and necessary role they can play to help foster a safe and inclusive school culture for students with disabilities, including those with ASD. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21554814