Did you know that October is National Bullying Prevention Month in the US? Sad, really, that as a nation we have such a problem with bullying we have to designate one month a year as “prevention month.” The bottom line is that prevention needs to be occurring every single month, but if one month each year more people are focused on making that happen due to a distinction like this, I’ll take it; after all it gives me an excuse to share some tremendous resources on the topic.

Last spring I shared an interview series about bullying with Dr. Lisa Elliot called “Bullying is a BIG Deal.” Click to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Plus, we got such great responses to the series that Dr. Elliott agreed to address the topic of Adults Who Bully after it was brought up in the comments section by one of our readers. Very important because it isn’t always kids bullying kids we need to worry about in this world. Sadly, sometimes the bullies are indeed grownups who should know better. Along those lines, an interesting blog posted by a Tech writer came across my radar [also last spring]; Casey Chan shared concern that a company called Aspiritech was taking advantage of employees – all individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome – read more in Aspie Tech Testers – Exploitation or Brilliant Business?

Additionally, Craig Gibson, the newly appointed Editor of SensorySpot.com, shared his personal experiences of being bullied in Bullying – My Story. Powerful and certainly worth reading (or rereading) in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month. A child who stands out from the “norm” in any way can easily become a target of bullies; read this post from GreatSchools called Invisible Targets about a young girl who was bullied in both public and private schools simply because she was a quiet, introvert who loved books (formally identified as a gifted child with ADHD).

Children, adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders are very often targeted by bullies. Just this fall, a girl with Asperger’s Syndrome in Southern California (a high school freshman) was nominated for homecoming princess as a prank by some fellow students. Funny thing is the prank backfired on the bullies and the girl won! Click HERE for more about this encouraging story.

Ethan’s school participates each year in Rachel’s Challenge, a program focused on kindness and compassion, inspired by Rachel Scott who was the first victim of the Columbine school shootings. This is a powerful program and one which has allowed us (at home) to have several discussions about bullying, kindness and compassion. I also know that they discuss these things regularly at Ethan’s school as well. The motto of the program is “Start a Chain Reaction.” In our school district, when kids or teachers witness an act of kindness or compassion, they can present the person responsible with a paper "link" listing the action. Just Friday afternoon when I picked Ethan up from school he shared that he had made a link for two of his classmates who helped him tidy his desk and area at the end of the day. In May, participating schools bring their paper chains to one central location for a rally. The miles and miles of chains carried into the stadium each year are an inspiring sight. Nice to see kids focused on kindness and compassion in the school setting every single day - not just for the one month of October!

Do you have any other great links to share with us about bullying, especially as it pertains to individuals with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome or other Autism Spectrum Disorders? We’d love to read your suggestions below.

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Leigh Attaway Wilcox is Editor in Charge of the internationally acclaimed AutismSpot.com and her work can be found on many of the pLDNetworks sites. Leigh is the author of ALL BETTER: A Touch-and-Heal Book published by Piggy Toes Press in 2007 (now available for digital download via Moving Picture Books). Leigh lives in North Texas with her husband and young son who loves reading, LEGOs, Mario Bros. and also happens to live with Asperger's Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder.