Victims Seeking Help from Speech-Language Pathologists: Bullying, Preparedness, and Perceptions

Objective: Antibullying initiatives indicate that all school-based personnel should accept responsibility for changing the school climate and eliminating bullying. This study examined if victims seeking assistance for bullying contacted speech-language pathologists (SLPs), SLPs' preparation to address bullying and their current perceptions of responsibilities and interventions. Methods: A mailed survey consisting of a questionnaire and scale on bullying intervention strategies was completed by 418 school-based SLPs. Results: Sixty-one (14.6%) SLPs reported that victims on their caseloads told them directly about being bullied during the last month. The majority of SLPs (84.9%) reported that bullying was a problem in schools, and 65.1% reported that they had observed students being bullied in the past month. Less than half of the SLPs (46.7%) reported feeling prepared to deal with bullying episodes. Thirty-six SLPs (7.9%) reported that they did not address bullying issues because it was outside the scope of practice or job responsibilities. Conclusions: This is the first large study to report that victims seek help from SLPs directly for assistance with bullying incidents. SLPs stated that they received some training in addressing bullying issues but did not feel prepared. SLPs thought bullying was a problem but were undecided about the best strategies for assisting the students.
Folia Phoniatr Logop 2016;68:29-36

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