Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
As part of the school health team, OTs should implement antibullying interventions, because bullying has a significant impact on students' participation in school occupations. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine interventions to reduce school bullying of students with autism. Social–emotional learning and social skills training interventions were found to be the most effective in decreasing bullying.
Primary Author and Speaker: Janet Njelesani
Additional Authors and Speakers: Christina M. Samaan
PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine interventions to reduce school bullying against autistic students. This review was conducted because bullying is a significant problem across all populations of students but bullying directed towards autistic students is more prevalent than their non-disabled peers (Rose & Espelage, 2012). Previous systematic reviews have examined the effectiveness of school bullying interventions (Evans et al., 2014); (Vreeman & Carroll, 2007); however, to date, none have focused on the effectiveness of interventions for autistic students. Occupational therapists (OTs) need to understand the best intervention, as school bullying significantly impacts a student's ability to engage in social participation, leisure, eating, and sleeping, which in turn affects their school performance (Public Affairs, 2019).
METHODS: The databases of MEDLINE via Pubmed, PsycINFO, CINAHL via EBSCO, and Education Source with ERIC were searched with the key terms, ‘autism’ and ‘bullying.’ Inclusion criteria included: peer-reviewed articles of levels of evidence 1 to 3, published from 2000 to March 2020, written in English, participants had a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and participated in school-based bullying intervention. All of the studies were appraised using Law et al.'s Quantitative Review Form (Law et al., 1998).
RESULTS: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. This review identified strong evidence for social-emotional learning and social skills training as bullying interventions for autistic students. The most effective way to reduce bullying amongst autistic students was found to be to ensure that they have an understanding of social rules, norms, and skills and that they are able to identify the language, attitude, and demeanor from others that could be considered threatening. The interventions with the strongest evidence were those which were implemented directly into the school curriculum and followed a Tier 2 setting (i.e., classroom level).
CONCLUSION: This systematic review provides evidence for the effectiveness of social-emotional learning and social skills training interventions that are implemented in the Tier 2 setting to decrease bullying against autistic students. Autistic students benefit from realistic situations, making interventions within the school setting and directly in their classrooms most effective. These interventions can be used by pediatric OTs in their practice to decrease bullying against autistic students.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Many autistic students are bullied. Bullying impacts student's school occupations, therefore, OTs have a role in addressing bullying with all students with whom they work.
References
Evans, C. B. R., Fraser, M. W., & Cotter, K. L. (2014). The effectiveness of school-based bullying prevention programs: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19(5), 532–544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2014.07.004
Law, M., and MacDermid, J. (2014). Evidence-Based Rehabilitation: A guide to practice. 3rd Ed. New Jersey: SLACK Inc.
Public Affairs. (2019, December 4). Effects of Bullying. Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/effects
Vreeman, R. C., & Carroll, A. E. (2007). A systematic review of school-based interventions to prevent bullying. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 161(1), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.161.1.78
