Friendship and bullying patterns in children attending a language base in a mainstream school

Abstract This study involved perceptions of bullying in six Year 7 children attending a speech and language base part‐time and the perceptions of their mainstream peers without speech and language problems. Base‐taught children and mainstreamed peers completed a bullying questionnaire and a social inclusion survey. Base‐taught children with language difficulties rated themselves three times more likely to be bullied than mainstream peers. Half of these base children, however, rated bullying as rare. These two sub‐groups differed on the number of peers willing to "hang out" with them, suggesting language difficulties and attendance at a segregated language base together are a "risk factor" for bullying whereas peer‐acceptance may be a "protecting factor". An intervention helping children to use a "fogging" technique did not reduce bullying perceptions. It is suggested that inclusion‐oriented ecological interventions are more likely to encourage friendships and social acceptance among the wider peer group and thus may be the most effective interventions to prevent bullying. Notes * 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1Y2. Email: Robert.savage@mcgill.ca Additional informationNotes on contributorsRobert Savage Footnote* * 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1Y2. Email: Robert.savage@mcgill.ca