Did you know there are several different types of bullying?  Do our kids know the difference between them?

Bullying is has become a word that no school, administrator, or teacher takes lightly.  When a student reports they are being bullied, all hands are on deck to try to get to the bottom of the situation.  Students, esepcially those experiencing disabilities, have a difficult time sharing and explaining what happened.  Helping them learn the different types of bullying might give them the tools they need to express the incident.

There are many types of bullying, but we will focus on the top three that occur in school-aged children.

  • Verbal Bullying is when the bully intentially says things to hurt another person. Examples of Verbal Bullying are:
    • Teasing
    • Name-calling 
    • Threats
    • Inappropriate sexual comments
  • Social Bullying is when the bully tries to hurt someones relationships or reputation.  Examples of Social Bullying are:
    • Telling others not to be friends with someone
    • Leaving a person out of a group on purpose
    • Spreading rumors
    • Embarassing someone in public
  • Physical Bullying is when someone uses their body with the intention of hurting the victim.  Examples of Physical Bullying are:
    • Hitting, punching, or kicking someone
    • Destroying someone’s property
    • Tripping or pushing someone
    • Spitting on them

Unfortunately, physical bullying is the most common type of bullying that occurs in schools.

Within the three main types of bullying, there are several sub-groups of bullying.  Here are a few examples of those subgroups:

  • Cyber Bullying:  any form of bullying that is done through the use of technology
  • Disability Bullying: picking on a person or groups of people because of their disability
  • Parental Bullying: when parents put their anger or insecurities on their children (typically phyiscally or emotionally

For a longer list of sub bullying categories and more in depth explaination, please visit Types of Bullying.