Getting Beyond Bullying and Exclusion, PreK-5: Empowering Children in Inclusive Classrooms - Paperback

by Ronald Mah (Editor)

"This is the first text I′ve read that connected specific disabilities to bullying. The material is informative, relevant, and thought-provoking. A useful tool in understanding the evolution of a bully and the necessity of early, appropriate intervention."
--Karen Thomes, Early Childhood Special Educator
Indian Island School, ME

Help students with special needs develop skills for meeting the challenges of bullying!

Children with challenges can encounter difficulties in navigating their journeys within mainstream classrooms. This book focuses on the vulnerabilities of youngsters to be bullied, especially those with learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, Asperger syndrome, and gifted abilities, and also discusses the tendencies for these children to become bullies.

Getting Beyond Bullying and Exclusion, PreK-5 deepens teachers′ understanding of common challenges and provides an intimate and realistic view of how children with special needs can become easy targets for bullies. The book also shows how adults can inadvertently facilitate development of victim behavior in children or contribute to the development of bully personalities. With an abundance of tried-and-true techniques for helping children manage emotions and build on their strengths, this book examines:

• Bullying styles, including classic male and female models
• How teachers can prevent and stop bullying
• Methods for intervening early before a negative dynamic progresses into middle or high school
• Strategies for working with overprotective parents
• A "90-Second-a-Day Self-Esteem Prescription Plan" to improve children′s self-views

Ideal for both teachers and counselors, this book increases the sensitivity and expertise that educators need to help children with special needs become more resilient and experience success at school.

Author Biography

Ronald Mah, an educator and licensed marriage and family therapist, has worked in early childhood education for 16 years. A credentialed elementary and secondary teacher, he is the author of Difficult Behavior in Early Childhood and The One-Minute Temper Tantrum Solution (2006 and 2008, Corwin Press). He wrote the Asian Pacific Islander Parent Education Support curriculum (DHS-San Francisco, 1996). Mah has DVDs on child development and behavior (Fixed Earth Films), and has been involved in community and high school mental health clinics, severe emotional disturbance, at-risk youth, welfare-to-work, and Head Start programs. A graduate college instructor and Board of Directors member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists and of the California Kindergarten Association, Mah combines concepts, principles, and philosophy with practical techniques and guidelines for effective and productive results. Mah has a psychotherapy practice in San Leandro, California where he works with children, teens, adults, couples, and families.