December 2011

The best defence against bullying -  The Globe and Mail

Bullying 101 

(Information gathered from 

publicsafety.gc.ca &Canadiancrc.com)

Not all signs are as visible as a black eye.  A child can be affected mentally and emotionally, leaving them feeling lonely and scared.  The repeated abuse of power of one or more children over another affects a child every seven minutes on a Canadian playground.

Telltale Signs:

Acknowledgment and assistance from an adult is the best way to stop your child from being bullied.  The first step is recognizing the signs in your child's behaviour or personality:

- Withdrawn from school activities, anti-social, doesn't want to go to school,

- Drastic change in grades, reduced attention span, difficulty remembering information.

- Panic attacks, increased shyness, depression, irritability, confidence loss, or often feeling ill.

- Change in sleep patterns, eating habits, bedwetting.

- Belongings mysteriously disappear: clothes, electronics, money, books.

- Comes home with unexplained bumps and bruises.

Pay particular attention to changes in behaviour in transition years or moving schools.

Cyber Bullying By Numbers from 

www.stopabully.ca

-About 39% of social networking users have been cyber bullied, compared to 22% of on-line users who don't use social networking sites.

- 38% of girls and 26% of boys report being bullied on-line.

- One in four educators has been cyber harassed.

Greetings!  

We have just celebrated four graduation parties.  Our children are so proud of the skills they have learned.  Mr. L.  commented that he was so thankful for learning the STAR PLAN, which helped him to recognize and modify his own behaviour  in order to help his child.  

Another mother tells us "Thank you for everything you have done to help our child. You were a ray of hope when we felt that there was no one out there who could help us. The "Let's Be Friends" class has helped our child develop important life skills: she is learning to cope with difficult situations.  We are certain that the guidance she has received at Behavior Matters has helped her to understand her emotions and to feel secure.  Julie is a wonderful teacher, and a very caring and approachable individual. Thanks again for all your support". VS

At Behaviour Matters we are committed to helping children and their families make positive changes in order to lead full and creative lives.  Many of the children that we see at Behaviour Matters have been teased or bullied.  Our children learn specific strategies to deal with situations that they encounter every day.  Continue to read the newsletter to help recognize the signs of bullying.

Thank you,

Cheri, Karen and our Behaviour Matters team