Unique Original Articles » New book tries to discourage bullying of those with autism

As children with autism enter what may be the cruel social arena of junior high years, the subject of bullying in the school shifts front and center as a topic of doubt. Regularly these students can find themselves the targets of teasing and bullying for their seemingly eccentric behaviors or obvious unfamiliarity with the social dynamics around them and aversion to interact with their peers. While there are lots of articles and books written on the subject, one new addition is a short book titled Four Minutes a Day ( 54 pages ) by teacher, E.C. Bernard who is nearing her twenty-fifth year as an educator.

Bernard concentrates on what she calls entertainment bullying that is, bullying to an audience so as to build a rep for being perceived as cool inside a peer group. The bully in such cases usually uses these techniques to request a reaction which can impress those in the bully's social circle, or a social circle in which the bully tries to be included.

While there are sections ( towards the end ) that outline how a parent or director might move to execute this strategy, this book is essentially written from the perspective of the teacher, and sketches out the whys for entertainment bullying and a step by step process to effect the system to build a social scaffolding for the bullied autistic that hampers bullying.

Giving an example implementation, Bernard's program empowers a net of sympathetic peer volunteers who need only give four mins of their time a day ( therefore, the title ) to satisfy a piece of the support program between classes in the halls, at key transition points of the day, and other times where the bullied person may instead be alone and a target.

For those teachers, administrator and parents who seek new plans to reduce entertainment bullying, this book is a beneficial addition.


You can get a copy of E.C. Bernard's Four Minutes a Day here.

Brian Field is the co-founder of Autism Support Network a free global online community – with members from over 212 countries – connecting families and individuals touched by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with each other, providing support and insight, and serving as a resource guide for treatments, strategies and therapies.

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