Bullying Involvement and Subtypes of Disabilities: Who is Likely to be Affected by What?

Sung and team asked the caregivers about bullying. Each child had a diagnosed disability. The survey listed developmental, speech, or learning problems. Researchers then ran stats to see who got picked on most.

They also checked if any group was more likely to bully others.

Kids with developmental, speech, or learning disabilities were twice as likely to be victims. No disability group showed higher odds of being the bully. Caregiver reports matched school records a large share of the time.

Boudreau et al. (2015) saw the same kids get left out of sports teams. Together the papers paint one picture: exclusion happens in gyms and hallways.

Helland et al. (2014) adds a twist. They showed that kids with early behavior problems later have big pragmatic language gaps. So a child might talk fine yet still miss social cues that stop bullying. The studies do not clash—they simply map two stops on the same rocky road.

Diemer et al. (2023) tracked autistic youth for ten years. Aggression often faded, but the bullying risk found by Sung stayed high. The message: victimisation can outlive the aggressive behaviors that sometimes invite it.

You can spot the highest-risk children on intake. Add a quick box to your intake form: developmental, speech, or learning diagnosis. If checked, start a social-skills or self-advocacy goal right away. Pair the learner with a trusted peer during recess and lunch—times Sung flagged as danger zones. You reduce trauma now instead of repairing it later.