Factors Influencing Bullying of Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum in Mainstream Secondary Schools

<p dir="ltr">Bullying of adolescents on the autism spectrum in mainstream secondary schools is an international, complex, and pervasive problem. Adolescents on the autism spectrum are at greater risk of bullying than either their neurotypical peers, or students with other diagnoses. This is particularly problematic considering the growing numbers of students on the spectrum who are attending mainstream schools, and the detrimental short and long-term impacts of bullying. Despite the frequent occurrence of bullying in schools, limited research has been conducted to examine the ways that school environments and systems may influence bullying of adolescents on the autism spectrum.</p><p dir="ltr">The aim of this study was to provide greater understanding regarding the ways that student-specific and contextual factors within schools, and within ecological systems around schools, influence bullying of adolescents on the autism spectrum in secondary school contexts. Questions posed related to the ways that these factors connected and interacted to place students at greater risk of bullying, or to help protect them from bullying when it occurred. A single case study design, drawing on multiple perspectives and observations, was used to explore participants’ experiences and perceptions of bullying, students’ characteristics, and most importantly, school environments and systems. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory served as the theoretical framework for the study, enabling an examination not just of students, but of the interactions between students on the autism spectrum, school environments, and the greater ecological systems surrounding students and schools.</p>