Case Presentation: Combating Bullying

Case: I have been shadowing the case of a 15 year old boy with Asperger's. He has been experiencing a lot of bullying at his school and is having a lot of difficulty around how to respond to it. At times he is unable to regulate his emotions and has retaliated physically; once to such an extreme that he threw a chair. His retaliation has resulted in a number of suspensions. He was receiving case management services until his mother decided to discontinue them recently for reasons not entirely clear to me. His mother has met with the school and discussed the problem. Their response was that they would "keep an eye out" for bullying, but the client reports that there has been no real action. He seems unreceptive to suggestions from the therapist about how to manage the problem without resorting to behaviors which will land him in trouble (assertiveness, going to the teacher, etc), stating that he has tried it all and nothing works. He seems to see retaliation as his only option.

Question: What can be done to help this client eliminate the bullying problem (the ideal) or help him better manage it so that school officials can step in rather than him acting out and subjecting himself to punishment (particularly with attention to his diagnosis and the difficulties it poses for social interaction and emotional regulation)?

Class suggestions: Suggestions from the group primarily centered around working with the school toward solutions. Looking at the client's IEP and what supports that might provide was one suggestion. If it allows for access to a resource room, where he might be able to go when he is feeling overwhelmed, or to a school social worker, who may be able to facilitate changes to the classroom environment, these could be valuable resources that are not yet being fully utilized. Also working directly with school administrators to inform them of the problem and establish clear expectations for conduct and consequences for bullying was suggested. Finally, one classmate suggested developing a safety plan, given the severity of some of the client's retaliation, which may serve to encourage more adaptive coping strategies.