1

Action Research Proposal

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Bullying Victimization Experiences
Patricia Breault
Professor Qiuyun Lin
EDU 531
December 4, 2017
SUNY Plattsburgh
 2

INTRODUCTION

Background on Autism Spectrum Disorders and Bullying

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects an
individual’s social and academic performance. The APA defines autism spectrum disorder as any
individual who has “clinically significant, persistent deficits in social communication and
interactions…[as well as] restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interest, and activities…and
such symptoms must be presented in early childhood (but may not become fully manifest until
social demands exceed limited capacities)” (Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2012, p. 236). To
date, 1 in 68 individuals is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (Hallahan et al., 2012).
Bullying, by which the aggressor must intend to hurt or intimidate someone less powerful as well
as repeat the behavior, is a concern, especially for students with disabilities, in particular students
with autism spectrum disorders.
Longitudinal research on bullying, which is “the repeated exposure to aggressive acts
over time intended to cause physical harm, psychological distress, or humiliation,” “has
indicated a bidirectional relationship between bullying and mental health problems” (Blake,
Lund, Qiong, Oi-man, & Be, 2012, p. 210; Schroeder, Cappadocia, Bebko, Pepler, & Weiss,
2014). However, there are few studies that investigate the relationship between bullying and
autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but preliminary research suggests that students with ASD are
at a greater risk for experiencing victimization by a bully than their peers without disabilities.
Some studies showed that bullying experiences for students with ASD was more than 4 time
more likely than their peers without disabilities (Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler, 2012; Roekel,
Scholte, & Didden, 2010; Schroeder et al., 2014). It has been suggested that students with ASD
are more prone to victimization because of their struggle to initiate and sustain peer relationships
and because they are less socially competent (Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler, 2012; Roekel,
Scholte, & Didden, 2010). This is particularly concerning because “repeated victimization can
lead to reduced self-confidence and faith in others” (Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler, 2012, p. 273).
Despite the fact that adolescents with ASD spend a significant amount of time in the general
education classroom, the possibility of peer victimization is high and has a negative effect on
educational performance (Adams, Taylor, Duncan, & Bishop, 2016). Victimization experiences,
however, were confined mostly to face-to-face interactions, as only approximately 10% of
students and parents reported victimization from cyber bullying (Schroeder et al., 2014).

Purpose of the Research

The initial purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between autism
spectrum disorders (ASD) and bullying. After a narrowing of the topic, the researcher chose to
look specifically at the prevalence and experiences of victimization with students with ASD from
both the student and parent perspective, including small amounts of research regarding the
teacher perspective. As a substitute teacher, I have had the opportunity to work with many
students with disabilities, in particular students with ASD, and have observed that although
students with disabilities are more prone to bullying, students with ASD are at a higher risk
because of their inability to maintain peer relationships and for some, because of their inability to
restrain themselves from speaking aloud or out of turn. Because of my observations, I wanted to
learn about how students with ASD and their parents perceive their victimization experiences
and how often they experience victimization.
 3

Initial Research Questions

The purpose of this study is qualitative in nature and therefore, initial research questions
are more open-ended and holistic than if the study’s purpose was quantitative in nature.
1. What is the relationship between students diagnosed with ASD and bully victimization
experiences?
2. How do victimization experiences vary between students with ASD, their parents, and
teachers?
3. How do students with ASD who experience bully victimization cope with bullying?
I hypothesize that students with ASD are subjected to more victimization than their peers without
disabilities and that they self-report more victimization experiences than do their parents and
teachers. I also hypothesize that students with ASD who experience victimization likely cope
with such experiences by ignoring the situation and not seeking assistance/help.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Understanding the connection between students with autism spectrum disorders and
bullying is an understudied issue in the realm of education. Although most studies suggest that
students with ASD are more prone to bullying than their peers without disabilities, little time has
been spent on researching the two topics together.

Victimization Experiences From the Student Perspective

Although little research has been conducted on the relationship between ASD and
bullying, a small number of studies have shown that students with ASD are unaware of their own
victimization experiences due to an inability to interpret social situations correctly (Roekel,
Scholte, & Didden, 2010). Roekel, Scholte, & Didden (2010) found, through the use of
videotaped vignettes, that students with ASD were unable to detect inappropriate behaviors that
included verbal behavior but that they could “understand and recognize simple (one-cued) social
situations” but a general conclusion that students with ASD will have difficulties with
recognition of bullying behavior can be drawn (Roekel, Scholte, & Didden, 2010, p. 64; Blake et
al., 2012). According to two studies, reports of victimization were higher for teachers than
adolescents with ASD (peer- and self-reported) (Roekel, Scholte, & Didden, 2010; Chen &
Schwartz, 2012). Blake et al. (2012), however, highlighted the nearly non-existent data on bully
victimization by teacher reports, and that most reports on victimization were either peer-reported,
self-reported, or parent-reported. Furthermore, when compared to other disabilities, Blake et al.
(2012) found that although ASD was never the disability victimized the most (in elementary,
middle, and high school), it was always one of the top four most victimized disabilities. In a
study of third- to fifth-grade students with ASD, Chen and Schwartz (2012) found that parent
and student reports of victimization were similar. Altomare et al. (2017) reported self-report rates
of peer victimization of students with ASD between 57% and 75%. Based on further research,
students with ASD were reportedly victimized between 40 and 94% of the time (Adams et al.,
2016). Somewhat surprisingly, this number coincided with the overall prevalence rate of
victimization by mothers who had children with ASD/Aspergers (Schroeder et al., 2014; Adams,
Fredstrom, Duncan, Holleb, & Bishop, 2014). Pfeffer (22016) also found that, after utilizing the
Juvenile Victimization Questonnarie (JVQ), 82.1% of students with ASD had experienced
victimization within the last year and 92% of those students had experienced at a least a second
 4

victimization within that same time period. Additionally, Adams et al. (2014) found a correlation
between adolescent- and parent-reports of peer victimization.
Students with ASD who reported being verbally victimized also had a strong association
with being disobedient and poor school work and students reported fearing going to school
(Adams et al., 2016). For students with ASD who were physically victimized, however, fear of
going to school was not a reported factor (Adams et al., 2016). Generally, findings suggest that
adolescents with ASD who are victimized face “negative repercussions for their psychological
health, general well-being, and now, educational functioning” (Adams et al., 2016, p. 3564).
When asked specifically about their victimization experiences and why they thought their peers
did not like them, students with ASD reported more perceived experiences of often being
ignored, teased, and physically bullied more than their typically developing peers (Schroeder et
al., 2014; Schroeder et al., 2014; Fisher & Taylor, 2016). What some research has concluded,
generally, is that “adolescents can indeed provide valid reports about their perceptions of
experiences of peer victimization,” especially when attempting to understand the relationship
between peer victimization and internalizing symptoms (Adams et al., 2014, p. 869).
Finally, students with ASD reported three ways in which to cope with bully
victimization: approach coping, avoidance coping, and complexities of bullying (Altomare et al.,
2017). Approach coping strategies are those “actions or behaviors that are taken by an individual
to directly alter stressful situations” (e.g. active problem solving, social support seeking) whereas
avoidance coping strategies are those that “enable an individual to manage personal
physiological and psychological reactions to the negative stressor” (e.g. cognitive distancing
from thinking about the negative situation, internalizing or emotional reactions directed toward
oneself for brining on the negative situation, externalizing) (Altomare et al., 2017, p. 211). Many
students with ASD indicated a variety of ways to respond to their victimization experiences,
including seeking social support from teachers/friends/classmates, dealing with the victimization
by themselves, or resorting to aggression (Altomare et al., 2017). Fisher & Taylor (2016) use
their own findings, similar to the ones listed above, to provide suggestions for the development
and implementation of bullying assessment and prevention programs that are more informative
and effective particularly for students with ASD. Pfeffer (2016) also suggests that other forms of
victimization (other than bullying) need to be part of the research as well as the impact of
exposure to multiple forms of victimization.

Victimization Experiences From the Parent Perspective

In order to develop a better understanding of ASD and victimization experiences,
researchers gathered data on the various forms of bullying, the exploration of the association
between victimization and mental health problems, and investigated the individual and
contextual variables as correlates of victimization from the parental perspective (Cappadocia,
Weiss, & Pepler, 2012). Results from a study from 34 parents indicated that victimization
experiences for their children with ASD was roughly 65%, but mentions about whether their
child had been victimized because of a lack of friends or poor social skills were not included
(Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler, 2012). Final results indicated that 77% of parents reported their
child being victimized at school, with 30% of those parents reporting their child being victimized
two or more times in the last month (Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler, 2012). Among the parents
who reported victimization in the last month, length of victimization lasting more than one year
steadied at 54% and parents reported the type of bullying to be most often verbal or social in
nature (Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler, 2012). The research results of Adams et al. (2016)
 5

indicated that parent-reporting of victimization varied by the type: verbal (43.1%), physical
(17.4%), ignore (30.6%), and provoke (63.5%). Similarly, Altomare et al. (2017) found that
parent-reports of peer victimization of their children with ASD was between 46% and 77%.
Schroeder et al. (2014) examined a study in which parents with children with ASD, age 5 to 21,
reported victimization at a high rate; 47% of parents reported their child being hit and 44%
reported their child being picked on by peers (Schroeder et al., 2014). Parents who also observed
victimization of their children with ASD also reported noticing higher levels of anxiety,
hyperactivity, self-injurious and stereotypic behaviors, and generally more over sensitivity than
children who experienced little or no victimization (Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler, 2012; Adams
et al., 2014).
Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler (2012) noted that victimization experiences as reported by
the parents was more accurate for younger children (Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler, 2012). This is
most often the case because parents are more often involved in their child’s social life at younger
ages and less so when their child is older, typically advancing towards an age that is associated
with developmental independence (Cappadocia, Weiss, & Pepler, 2012). Despite a lack of
communication between a parents and their older children who experience bullying, parental
support is important to help foster and develop social skills (e.g. adaptive emotional and
behavioral regulation strategies and coping skills), ignore peer provocation, identify and engage
with supportive peers, problem solving, and communicating assertively (Cappadocia, Weiss, &
Pepler, 2012). Furthermore, Adams et al. (2014) found that “parents reported higher rates of
verbal, relational, and social victimization than did adolescents” (Adams et al., 2014, p. 869).

RESEARCH METHODS

Overall Approach and Rationale

This research design is qualitative in nature and will be conducted as such. After student
and parental consent is obtained, the study will begin with teacher-researcher observations inside
and outside the classroom setting (e.g. school hallways). This will provide the teacher-researcher
with samples that are not tainted by participant perspective. The study will slowly transition into
participant observation, wherein the teacher-researcher becomes an active member of the group
(i.e. conversing with the students). The study will then conclude with the use of various data
collection instruments to be used with the students with ASD, the parents, and the teachers to
arrive to conclusions that coincide with the initial research questions regarding the association
between ASD and victimization experiences.

Site and Sample Selection

This qualitative action research study will be conducted at Schroon Lake Central School
for a period of one month. Due to the small size of the school, the nine students with autism
spectrum disorders in grades 9-12 (i.e. High School) will be observed, interviewed, and given
surveys related to their victimization experiences. Parents of those students will be given similar
interviews and surveys as well as the teachers that deal directly with those students. We
acknowledge that due to the small sample size, results are not generalizable.

The Researcher’s Role

As the sole teacher-researcher in this study, my position as an observer will vary. In the
beginning, I will remain an objective outsider so as to be an invisible presence when observing
 6

interactions between the students with ASD and their peers. As the interactions I will have with
the students with ASD (including parents and teachers), my position as an outside observer will
diminish and slowly become that of a fully involved teacher-researcher. My contact will only
remain with those students who have supplied consent forms and wish to participate in the study.

Data Collection Methods

Observations and Field Notes
In the proposed study, there will be no need to conduct observations in rounds because of
the small sample size. Instead, as the teacher-researcher who will follow and observe the
interactions, I will be conducting daily unstructured observations to record and become part of
my official field notes. The field notes will include any and all interactions that the students with
ASD have with their peers that are relatable to the study and a separate column will be made for
the observations and observer’s comments. Specifically, I will be looking to see how students
with ASD interact with their peers, describing the interaction in my field notes so that I can
compare my observations to the student’s victimization experience after the interview and survey
processes are completed. Field notes will be provided in a written format and will later be typed
up for ease of reading.

Interviews
Interviews of the students with ASD, their parents, and their primary teachers will be
conducted at the end of the study as a final close to the research and will only be given once.
Regardless of who is being interviewed (i.e. student/parent/teacher), the questions will be open-
ended so as to elicit descriptive responses. Yes/No questions will be avoided or used only when
appropriate. Although parents and teachers will be asked very similar questions, the students
with ASD will have entirely different questions because of their role in the study. Participants
will be voice-recorded so that a copy of the conversation can be reviewed for clarification
purposes but the teacher-researcher will also be taking notes during the time of the interview. In
this interview process, students with ASD will also be asked about the ways in which they cope
with victimization. At the conclusion of the interviews, responses will be typed into a transcript
form and student/parent/teacher participants will be given anonymity by randomly assigning
them a pseudonym as a place holder for their actual name.

Surveys
The nine students with ASD will be given a survey following the end of the study. The
survey will consist of questions about their perceptions and experiences with victimization.
Additionally, parents will also be given a survey asking them questions about their child’s
victimization experiences. Questions on the survey will be different from those that are used in
the interview process to avoid overlapping. Survey participants will also be given pseudonyms to
represent the student/parent name to achieve anonymity. Teachers will not be given surveys.
Survey results will be compiled and put into a spreadsheet document for ease of viewing and
later interpretation during the data analysis phase.

Trustworthiness Features
To ensure anonymity, students with ASD, parents, and teacher participants will be given
pseudonyms to represent their person but only after receiving permission from the Institutional
Review Boards (IRB) because the study involves human participants. During my initial
 7

observations, which require me to be in the classroom, video- or voice-recorded videos will not
be taken in the classroom or school setting to protect research participants’ identity. The
exception is that the interviews will be voice-recorded to ensure a valid transcription by the
teacher-researcher has occurred. Reference or identifying names of non-participants will not be
recorded during any of the data collection processes to ensure full discretion. Parent consent
forms and assent forms will be given to all participants, the only exception being a student who
has turned 18 or is 18 before the start of the study; in that case, they would receive an informed
consent form. The principles of beneficence, honesty, and importance will be strictly adhered to.
 8

REFERENCES

Adams, R. R., Taylor, J., Duncan, A., & Bishop, S. (2016). Peer Victimization and Educational
Outcomes in Mainstreamed Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Journal
Of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 46(11), 3557-3566. doi:10.1007/s10803-016-
2893-3

Adams, R. r., Fredstrom, B., Duncan, A., Holleb, L., & Bishop, S. (2014). Using Self- and
Parent-Reports to Test the Association Between Peer Victimization and Internalizing
Symptoms in Verbally Fluent Adolescents with ASD. Journal Of Autism &
Developmental Disorders, 44(4), 861-872. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1938-0

Altomare, A. A., McCrimmon, A. a., Cappadocia, M. C., Weiss, J. A., Beran, T. N., & Smith-
Demers, A. D. (2017). When Push Comes to Shove: How Are Students With Autism
Spectrum Disorder Coping With Bullying?. Canadian Journal Of School
Psychology, 32(3-4), 209-227. doi:10.1177/0829573516683068

Blake, J. j., Lund, E. M., Qiong, Z., Oi-man, K., & Be, M. R. (2012). National Prevalence Rates
of Bully Victimization Among Students With Disabilities in the United States. School
Psychology Quarterly, 27(4), 210-222. doi:10.1037/spq0000008

Cappadocia, M. c., Weiss, J., & Pepler, D. (2012). Bullying Experiences Among Children and
Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal Of Autism & Developmental
Disorders, 42(2), 266-277. doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1241-x

Chen, P., & Schwartz, I. S. (2012). Bullying and Victimization Experiences of Students With
Autism Spectrum Disorders in Elementary Schools. Focus On Autism & Other
Developmental Disabilities, 27(4), 200-212. doi:10.1177/1088357612459556

Fisher, M. f., & Taylor, J. L. (2016). Let’s talk about it: Peer victimization experiences as
reported by adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Autism: The International Journal
Of Research & Practice, 20(4), 402-411. doi:10.1177/1362361315585948

Gwen M. Glew, Ming-Yu Fan, Wayne Katon, Frederick P. Rivara, Mary A. Kernic. Bullying,
Psychosocial Adjustment, and Academic Performance in Elementary School. Arch
Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005;159(11):1026–1031. doi:10.1001/archpedi.159.11.1026

Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2012). Exceptional learners: An introduction
to special education (12thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Pfeffer, R. D. (2016). Childhood Victimization in a National Sample of Youth with Autism

Spectrum Disorders. Journal Of Policy & Practice In Intellectual Disabilities, 13(4), 311-
319. doi:10.1111/jppi.12203

Potter, M.P., Buxton, D., & Bostic, J.Q. (2013). Coping Strategies for Child Bully-Victims.
Psychiatric Annals, 43(3), 101-105 doi: http://doi.org/10.3928/00485723-20130306-04
 9

Roekel, E. v., Scholte, R. J., & Didden, R. (2010). Bullying Among Adolescents With Autism
Spectrum Disorders: Prevalence and Perception. Journal Of Autism & Developmental
Disorders, 40(1), 63-73. doi:10.1007/s10803-009-0832-2

Schroeder, J. j., Cappadocia, M., Bebko, J., Pepler, D., & Weiss, J. (2014). Shedding Light on a
Pervasive Problem: A Review of Research on Bullying Experiences Among Children
with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal Of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 44(7),
1520-1534. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-2011-8
 10

APPENDICES