Tourette Syndrome and Bullying

Overview

Bullying doesn't just happen to the smallest kid in the class. Children who bully others target those who seem to be less powerful or not as strong. Children who bully others also often target those who seem "different." Children with Tourette syndrome (TS) experience more bullying than children without TS. Children with TS also may experience being treated differently by teachers and other adults.1 It is important to understand the effects of bullying, a child’s legal right not to be bullied, and where to find additional resources.

What is bullying?

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived imbalance of power. The aggressive behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.

• Bullying can be physical, involving hitting or attacking another person or their possessions.
• Bullying also can come in the form of verbal aggression, including teasing, name calling, verbal threats, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, putting someone down, and threatening to cause harm.
• Bullying can also come in the form of social aggression, which involves hurting someone's reputation or relationships. Social bullying can include leaving someone out on purpose, declaring them as different, telling other children not to be friends with someone, spreading rumors about someone, or embarrassing someone in public.

Bullying can be in person, but it can also come in the form of electronic aggression (e.g., cyberbullying using the Internet or cell phones). It can include threatening, embarrassing, or insulting emails, texts, or social media posts.

Learn more at stopbullying.gov.

What are the effects of bullying?

Children and youth who are bullied are more likely than other children to

• Be depressed, lonely, anxious
• Have low self-esteem
• Experience headaches, stomachaches, tiredness, and poor eating
• Be absent from school, dislike school, and have poorer school performance
• Think about or plan suicide

Bullying can cause serious, lasting problems, not only for the children who are bullied but also for the children who bully and those who witness bullying. Children who bully others may do so to gain social status or as a reaction to being bullied. Some children with TS may also bully others.2

Watch a video about how to handle teasing and bullying.

Legal rights

There are laws to protect children from bullying by peers, school personnel, or other adults. TS is recognized as a disability in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Disability harassment is discrimination that violates Section 504 and its regulations. Under Section 504 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, disability harassment in schools is defined as

"Intimidation or abusive behavior toward a student based on disability that creates a hostile environment by interfering with or denying a student's participation in or receipt of benefits, services, or opportunities in the institution's program. Harassing conduct may take many forms, including verbal acts and name-calling, as well as nonverbal behavior, such as graphic and written statements, or conduct that is physically threatening, harmful, or humiliating."

For more information

This site has information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• BAM! Bully Roundup – Game for kids to test their bully smarts

StopBullying.gov has information from the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention about bullying and tips to make it stop.

• Bullying Among Children and Youth with Disabilities and Special Needs
• Information for Kids, Teens, Adults, Parents, and Educators
• Cyber Bullying

These sites have information about bullying for schools, parents, kids, and teens:

• Pacer Center National Center for Bullying Prevention
• Operation Respect

This site has information from the Tourette Association of America about bullying and what parents, teachers, and administrators can do to help:

• Bullying: Prevention and Strategies