The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Unfortunately, individuals on the autism spectrum are often targeted by bullies. This can affect an individual in multiple negative ways. This presentation will address many of the commonly missed red flags, provide ways to help reduce the risk of bullying and ways to heal during and after bullying incidents. There is an old phrase about a frog being placed in a pot of water. When the water is gradually turned up, the frog doesn’t realize it is cooking until it is too late. For individuals on the autism spectrum, we become too accustomed to mistreatment that we are sometimes unable to notice the red flags putting us in hot water. The issue of bullying is not a new topic in the community and as we rest firmly in the social-media age, there are new ways to bully people sprouting up everywhere. Having the skills to identify Bully red flags is a huge step in preventing bullying situations.

    The concept of a strong support network is an important part of maintaining personal health. A support network can consist of family, friends, professionals, teachers, and other people who care about the overall well-being of a person. This presentation will address how to choose a support network without including bullies. It is often a catch 22 where we let people closer who do the most damage. This can lead to abusive situations or secondhand betrayal trauma when our support network lets us down. Bullies can be of any age and any position of authority, so one of the first steps in preventing this occurrence is establishing who we can trust. Again, this is a life-long process but there are some hidden curriculum to make things easier.

    We stress the importance of how autistic individuals should treat friends, but we don’t put enough emphasis on how people should treat individuals on the autism spectrum. So many people want to have social interactions and friends, we are willing to ignore our gut instincts telling us this person is no good. This can be in friendships, mentor roles, and even romantic relationships. Although red-flags can very depending on situations, there are several universal red flags people not on the autism spectrum view as ‘common sense’. This hidden curriculum is not explicitly taught to those on the spectrum and it needs to be for their safety.

    Bullying can have a physical effect on a person affecting their job, hobbies, other relationships, and mental health. Knowing how to take care of yourself during and after being bullied is an important part of the healing process. Even after a person is removed from a traumatic situation, it does not mean the effects of that situation are immediately done. Knowing what healing resources are available can help provide closure to a situation. Often these situations do not have neat conclusions, but there are ways to wrap things up cleanly so a person will not continue to be targeted in retribution once they are able to remove themselves.

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