Bullying and Cyberbullying Students with Hearing Loss
Research that Matters
“I know how to handle bullying in my classroom!” may be a battle cry from any experienced and successful teachers, but the landscape of bullying has changed.
Studies on the frequency of bullying with deaf and hard of hearing students – a jolting reality
- In 2018, the University of Texas found that adolescents with hearing loss endured significantly higher incidence of bullying versus the general population (50.0% vs. 28.0%), particularly for exclusion (26.3% vs. 4.7%) and coercion (17.5% vs. 3.6%). Children younger than 12 years with hearing loss reported lower rates of bullying (38.7%) than adolescents with hearing loss, but rates did not differ significantly. Author of the study, Dr. Andrew Warner-Cryz, revealed: “I thought more children and adolescents with hearing loss would report getting picked on, but I did not expect the rates to be twice as high as the general population”
- A 2018 study by Van den Bedem, N.P., published in the International Journal of Language and Communicative Disorders found that students who had lower language abilities were more vulnerable to victimization if they lacked understanding of their own emotions and levels of anger, sadness, and fear. Another red flag for teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing whose students may lack self-esteem, feel isolated, or different from the larger population of hearing students.
- A 2013 Gallaudet study on bullying and school climate found that 812 deaf and hard of hearing students in eleven U.S. schools reported instances of bullying at rates 2-3 times higher than reported by hearing students. Deaf and hard of hearing students reported that school personnel were less likely to intervene when bullying was reported. The study examined perspectives among deaf and hard of hearing students in residential and large day schools regarding bullying, and compared these perspectives with those of a national database of hearing students. The participants were 812 deaf and hard of hearing students in 11 U.S. schools. Significant bullying problems were found in deaf school programs. Results indicate the need for school climate improvement for all students, regardless of hearing status.
Anecdotal stories support the findings.
In 2016, the story of a deaf high school student in Nebraska was reported on television news. Students had taken his backpack during a lunch period and dumped it in a toilet. Contained inside were his tablet, school supplies, homework, debit card, and his cochlear implant. The student, Alexis Hernandez, reported: “Those students think it’s ok to bully a deaf student, but it’s not. It’s not OK to bully someone who is disabled, deaf, or hard of hearing. Or anyone for that matter.”
Definitions: Shaming, Blaming, and More
The National Deaf Children Society (NDCS) in the UK provides the following comprehensive description of bullying in their publication: “Bullying Advice for Parents of Deaf Children.”Bullying may comprise one or more of these behaviors:
Verbal: name-calling, insulting, teasing, ridiculing
Healthy Self Esteem is the Gatekeeper
If individuals value themselves, feel worthy, loved, able to handle rejections and bounce back – they possess qualities that naturally help guard against bullying, or becoming bullies. Take teasing, for instance. Although it can become ugly and demeaning, there is a place for gentle teasing that allows individuals to laugh at themselves in a healthy way. We all make mistakes! We’re “human.”Self Esteem in Fictional Heroes
Two well-known stories give us perfect examples of what healthy self-esteem looks like. Characters in books or movies so often provide our best “teachable moments” for learning about behaviors in the real world. These are two heroes of fiction for kids of all ages: J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and R. J. Palacio’s Augie Pullman of Wonder. In her insightful work, “Harry Potter and Hearing Loss – A Whimsical Look at Similarities and Successes, ” Karen Anderson draws comparisons between J. K. Rowling’s famous Harry and his experiences as a new student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with the experiences of deaf/ hard of hearing students in the mainstream. There were many times when Harry was an outcast, made fun of, and treated poorly by groups of students. He usually did not react or lash out at his tormentors… He did not ask to be special. But Harry, with the help of his friends and teachers, persevered, tried his hardest and was true to who he was as a person. Therefore he succeeded against all odds.
Other Ways to Build Self Esteem
There are many exercises that can help foster a healthier sense of self esteem for our children and students. A few suggestions for teachers and parents: Allow mistakes and accidents to happen. Do not shame and blame others Accept differences in other people, families, cultures Find the humor in your own missteps and mistakes Make an effort to talk about the things for which you are grateful Find ways to help othersCONFRONT Bullying HEAD ON:
Incorporate routine screening for bullying via direct questions6:

Address developing skills to reduce victimization in the student IEP:
Issues related to peer victimization can be included on individualized education plans or 504 plans in the following ways: Informing teachers and classmates about hearing loss.
For teachers:
Keep the discussion of bullying behavior alive and ongoing – not a lesson plan to be covered, completed, and put away. Organize a social skills group to help children develop social competencies in a supportive environment. Clinicians can also help patients address assertiveness and/or self-advocacy, with specific training to identify and report bullying, say “no” to stop the situation, and request assistance from a trusted source. Give your students a safe and open communication pathway for reporting incidents of bullying. Recognize that bullying will most often happen when you are not watching – In the lunchroom, the bathrooms, the playground, the hallways. Just because you did not see it does not mean it did not happen! Be a listener. Be supportive. Report incidents to your school administration as promptly as possible.For parents:
Talk to your child about feelings – openly and often. They need to know that when things go wrong, you will be there to support them. Stay closely involved with school administrators and teachers. Be ASSERTIVE with school personnel when your child reports bullying behaviors.Cyberbullying – How do we deal with an invisible bully?

How Can We Be Proactive about Cyberbullying?
