Bullies target teens unable to express emotion
January 2008Teenagers with a communication disorder that stops them expressing and understanding emotions are twice as likely to be bullied than their peers, warn researchers at the School of Psychological Sciences.
Youngsters with specific language impairment (SLI) are unable to verbally express their feelings and find it difficult to understand what others are saying due to a developmental problem with their language. However they show no physical signs of the disorder, have otherwise normal intellectual ability and do enjoy socialising, so often appear to other people as just ‘unusual’. This can lead to them being ostracised or even attacked by their peers.
SLI affects 4-7% of children – approximately 520,000 in the UK – which is four times more than autism. Little is known about its cause and neurological basis but it affects twice as many boys than girls and tends to run in families.
Almost half of the 16 year olds with SLI recalled being teased or bullied when they were younger in interviews for a study by Professor of Child Language and Learning Gina Conti-Ramsden and her colleague Dr Emma Knox. The study, published in Educational and Child Psychology and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found that teenagers without communication difficulties also reported being teased and bullied when they were younger, but this constituted less than a quarter of those interviewed.
Professor Conti-Ramsden said: “Society is aware of the negative effects of bullying and this has led to anti-bullying policies in schools, organisations and the media. However, we cannot be complacent. This study raises awareness of a vulnerable group of young people for whom the applicability of anti-bullying strategies is particularly great.”
