Keywords

1 Introduction

To achieve equal quality education, the UAE has expanded special education to include broader categories for higher grades since 1979 (MOE, 2010). According to the 2006 laws for social acceptance, inclusive education is essential (Arif and Gaad, 2008). Similarly, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), a UAE law from 2006 safeguards the rights of people with disabilities (KHDA, 2019).

According to MOE SEN policy 2010, ASD implies severe deficits. This study systematically investigates how bullying affects ASD students' and their classmates' social and intellectual development in inclusive classrooms.

The article will address the following research question:

  1. 1.

    How does bullying effects ASD students in their performance in an inclusive school?

The study's focus on bullying's impact on children with Autism Spectrum Disorders is extremely pertinent to the field of special education needs because it tackles the difficulties that ASD kids encounter in both social development and academic achievement.

To enhance the practice of inclusive education practice and policies, the research on the effects of bullying on students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the UAE is crucial. This research aims to shed light on the experiences of those students and fill the knowledge gaps.

It summarises major findings, addresses difficulties autistic students face in the classroom, and makes recommendations for further study.

2 Background

Inclusion is a phenomenon and a global movement that is high on the international agenda. As a way of delivering a suitable education for all kids, educators must pay attention to inclusion. (Gaad and Almotairi, 2013)

In the UAE, the prevalence rate for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is 112.40 per 10,000 children, making it the world's second-highest autism rate. (Autism Rates by Country, 2022).

Autism is a complicated illness from mild to extreme range. The functioning level in people with autism mainly refers to cognitive ability, which can range from serious mental impairment to excellent talents. While a person's cognitive capacity will influence whether he or she is vocal or nonverbal and whether he or she will operate with increasing levels of independence, all people with autism have considerable difficulties behaving correctly in social situations. (Debbaudt, 2001).

Students with ASD face bullying in schools. Parents and instructors frequently claim that students with autism spectrum disorders (ASC) are bullied by their peers during the school years. (Hebron et al., 2015).

When compared to normal rates of equivalent everyday work, the quality of life of persons with ASD is poor. Academic and non-academic demands were shown to be influenced by communication, organizational, and time management abilities. (Anderson et al., 2018).

Students with ASD struggle to “read” social cues and understand how to interact in constantly shifting social circumstances. They struggle to anticipate others' behavior and decipher facial expressions and body language to infer what they are thinking or experiencing. Children with ASD are more vulnerable to bullying because of their inability to understand social cues. (Stobart, 2009).

3 Methodology of Systematic Literature Review

The following (Table 1) were the inclusion criteria for the systematic review of the literature.

Table 1. Inclusion Criteria Across Reviewed Studies.
Full size table

Results were tabulated with examples, tools, and essential points in Google Sheets. Relevance to the assessment of "Effects of bullying on ASD students' performance in inclusive schools" For being irrelevant, biassed, or old, more than 70 out of 100 articles were removed. There were 25 studies included.

4 Literature Review

This section focuses on research relating to the bullying of ASD students. The literature review is structured around the investigation of what bullying is and how it affects ASD students' performance in inclusive schools.

4.1 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism is a neurologically based developmental condition that severely limits a person's capacity to communicate, socialize, and make decisions. It affects boys four times more than females and is usually observed in youngsters by the age of three. It is believed that at least 12 million individuals worldwide, regardless of race or ethnicity, are affected by it. The prevalence of autism is rapidly increasing. (Debbaudt, 2001)

Autism can be diagnosed as early as 18 to 24 months; distinctive symptoms can be recognized from usual development as well as other delays or developmental problems around this age. (Zeidan et al., 2022).

Autism symptoms range from moderate to severe. Cognitive ability determines one's level of functioning, from skill to disability. Communication and independence are impacted by cognitive capacity. All autistic people experience social difficulties regularly.

Autism has no known cure; however, the medicine may assist with some symptoms in rare circumstances. Parents and educators frequently go to considerable lengths to assist children with autism in adjusting their habits, making it simpler for them to integrate into society. Genetic and environmental indicators are still being studied, but the reasons are unclear. Autism was once generally triggered by the way parents reared their children. Autism, on the other hand, is now known to be biologically determined and to be a permanent impairment. Those who are impacted have the highest chance of recovery if they are diagnosed early and have access to educational programs. (Debbaudt, 2001).

4.2 Bullying and its Types

Bullying, according to the findings, is almost like student torture. According to the researchers, bullying came from a variety of sources, including friends, and took a variety of verbal and physical forms. (Bitsika and Sharpley, 2014)

Several studies have examined the types of bullying. Tipton-Fisler et al. (2018) state that bullying is the most common sort of bullying experienced by kids with ASD at schools, with verbal abuse being the most prevalent type.

As stated by Cappadocia et al., 2012, verbal (e.g., name calling) and social (e.g., spreading rumors or purposefully leaving someone out) kinds of bullying are the most prevalent among school-aged children (Scheithauer et al., 2006; Woods and White, 2005). Furthermore, until 2012, there were few studies on bullying among ASD students. Only a few research have looked at bullying experiences among children with ASD. According to preliminary studies, individuals with ASD are more likely to be bullied than their normally develo** classmates. (Cappadocia et al., 2012). However, as inclusion is getting more practical; a recent study published in 2022, has stressed the importance of understanding bullying as more than just a result of systematic factors in the class, school, or community (Amundsen et al., 2022).

A review by Hwang et al., 2018 claims that (1) bullying is defined as a perpetrating behavior by children and adolescents who hold and/or try to maintain a dominant position over others; (2) bullying requires a clear intent to cause mental and/or physical suffering to another; and, (3) it is a dynamic and complex social interaction (Olweus, 1994; Morita, 1985; Nansel et al., 2004). Fekkes et al., 2005 discuss it further by claiming that When there is a power imbalance between the perpetrator and the victim, certain undesirable behaviors occur. Bullying can be ‘physical’ (e.g. striking, shoving, kicking),’ verbal’ (e.g. calling names, inciting, making threats, spreading slander), or a combination of both (e.g. making gestures or social isolation). According to the author, Name-calling (90.3 %), spreading rumors (89.1 %), being neglected or not allowed to participate (60.8 %), being made fun of (74.3 %), being kicked, hit, or pushed (63.1 %), or having things taken away or hidden were among the specific bullying behaviors experienced by those children who indicated that they had been bullied almost daily on the general bullying question (37.3 %).

4.3 Bullying in ASD

In consonance with the findings, all the mainstream instructors polled believed that kids with SEN were troublesome to other pupils in the classroom. (Gaad and Khan, 2007)

Hsiao et al., 2022 state that students with Autism are more likely to be bullied than other students. Their recurrent issues with social interaction and communication may help to understand why they are the focus of bullying.

Bullied children are more likely to have psychosomatic symptoms, poor social and emotional integration, low school dedication, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and clinically significant social issues, according to research on the general population. (Cappadocia et al., 2012). Stakeholders, especially parents of special needs are concerned about whether the child has indeed been bullied and/or bullies others. (Kloosterman et al., 2013)

Few research has investigated school rejection for children students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and bullying is one of the primary causes. (Ochi et al., 2020). According to Hwang et al. (2018), when compared to their peers in the community, children with ASD are more likely to be victims or perpetrators of bullying. This is because the students could be having problems understanding the event within the flow of time, and matching visuals and noises that happen simultaneously. Starting at the lowest of perceptual reception and working up through the cognitive system from there, the organizing of information proceeds logically. The traditional organization of the classic content is present here. (Metcalfe, 2011)

Moreover, children with ASD suffer bullying more often, both as perpetrators and victims, than children in the general population.

Bullying, which is defined by the sentiments of pupils who are or are not bullied, and psychological suffering produced by a psychological attack, is one of the primary reasons for school refusal. (Ochi et al., 2020)

As stated by Tipton-Fisler et al., 2018, Bullying was the most common sort of bullying experienced by kids with ASD at schools, with verbal abuse being the most prevalent type.

Students with autism who have been bullied often seek revenge. Due to their autism or outbursts, their response could be impulsive or odd. Teachers detect revenge but may not notice the initial mistreatment. Students who have autism acknowledge retribution but not the initial harassment. When challenged, bullies deny what they have done. People with autism frequently vent their rage in public. This calls into question their standing with the legal system.

Bullies, teases, and tormentors frequently target people with autism in school, at work, and in their communities. They might not even be able to speak freely or protect themselves, and they may not even be aware that they are being targeted. The abusers will not be deterred by the possibility of being caught and punished. When bullies, taunting, torture and harassment aren’t afraid of being discovered, they’re more likely to escalate. Harassment might escalate into physical violence. To identify witnesses or other victims of disability discrimination, assault, or intimidation, investigators should undertake interviews in schools, communities, and workplaces. (Debbaudt, 2001)

4.4 Social Development

Children with ASD have a lot of trouble with reciprocal social relationships, as well as social communication skills, according to Hawang et al., 2018. (Frith and Hill, 2004; van Roekel et al., 2010).

As reported by the research, children with ASD-like behavioral challenges resulting from communication and socialization deficits have a high prevalence of bullying encounters, at least according to their parents. (Bitsika and Sharpley, 2014).

It would be beneficial for all students to have a schedule of various activities that may aid in preserving peer interaction. Schedules and activities should be highly structured for people with autism spectrum disorders, and they should also get specialized assistance to promote social interaction (Cuesta-Gómez et al., 2022).

Furthermore, verbal abuse is the most common kind of bullying, the ASD student struggles to develop a social life. When one student’s word is pitted against another’s, the autistic student loses credibility as a fact reporter. However, his or her hasty admission is recorded. He or she might be suspended, expelled, or charged with a crime. (Debbaudt, 2001).

Similarly, they may have trouble seeing a different perspective or recognizing a communication failure. They frequently fail to include other people’s perspectives in the decision-making and make bad social judgments because of their failure to effectively forecast other people’s perspectives. (Debbaudt, 2001).

For students with ASD, having a close relationship with classmates is essential. Because a disproportionate percentage of autistic students lack psychosocial support from peers, they appear to be more sensitive to bullying. (Amundsen et al., 2022).

Bullying is tough due to communication issues. As cited in Tipton-Fisler et al. (2018), verbal abuse is the most prevalent type the most common sort of bullying experienced by kids with ASD at schools. Some studies have revealed that people with autism who have no intellectual handicap but have major social and communication difficulties are the ones who are most likely to be victimized (Rowley et al., 2012).

4.5 Academic Development

School-related sources of stress, including bullying, poor academic performance, and change in the classroom or teachers, have a direct impact on people with ASD. (Ochi et al., 2020)

Bullying has an impact on the academic achievement of ASD students in school settings.

The fact that over half of the students said they were bullied in class might be a hindrance to focus in class and, as a result, academic progress. (Bitsika and Sharpley, 2014).

Moreover, Sreckovic et al., 2014 stated that recent longitudinal research indicated that children who had been bullied had considerably (GPAs) lower grade point averages and school achievement than kids who had not been bullied. (Sreckovic et al., 2014).

It was further reported that school absences have also been observed as a result of victimization in the general community. (Sreckovic et al., 2014). This demonstrates how bullying affects students with ASD to the point where they anticipate being away from school.

Selective auditory attention processing issues are a challenge for autistic students ( Schwartz and Wang, 2020).

Due to their inability to concentrate on one stimulus among many, ASD students suffer from the cocktail party effect. Due to communication issues, a review found that bullying rates were greater among those with ASD. Bullying can take many different forms, including verbal and social, and it can harm a person’s well-being and academic performance. Bullying can result in psychosomatic issues, loneliness, and decreased academic involvement. Parents of kids with disabilities have concerns. The likelihood of being rejected from school increases in those with ASD. According to Paul et al., 2018, Individuals with ASD are more prone to be socially disengaged than those who are typically developed, which may lead to school rejection. (Ochi et al., 2020). Bullying affects academic success because of ineffective communication. School dropout is one of the long-term impacts. Bullying is complicated, deliberate, and related to power disparities. It was also cited by Bitsika and Christopher, 2014, that one of the major long-term negative outcomes of bullying is a harassed child’s absence from school, which can lead to permanent school dropout (Fried and Fried, 1996).

Bullying hurts ASD students’ academic performance in inclusive schools, according to the literature evaluation. Students with ASD struggle with bullying, which negatively affects their well-being. Studies have revealed a variety of elements of bullying among teenagers with ASD, indicating the need for more research and successful solutions. Common themes include acknowledging the importance of bullying, its various forms and impacts, the significance of challenging behaviors, and the need for greater research. Divergent definitions and points of view exist among stakeholders as well.

5 Discussion and Conclusion

Bullied children might suffer from physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and mental health problems. Bullied children are likely to experience depression and anxiety, feelings of melancholy and solitude, and a lack of interest in previously enjoyed activities are all symptoms of anxiety. These problems may last well into adulthood. Illness, Academic attainment (GPA and standardized test scores) and school engagement might be affected. Students with ASD have a higher likelihood of missing, skip**, or drop** out of school. This analysis responds to the research question of how bullying affects ASD children’s achievement in an inclusive educational environment.

Overall, the findings demonstrate that kids with ASD in inclusive classes are unable to build good relationships with their classmates because of bullying. Most ASD students are humiliated and tormented by their peers, and they try to avoid them by avoiding school. Students with ASD have worse academic achievement and social development as a result of this.

According to Fekkes et al. (2005), healthcare practitioners and education should play an important role in effectively controlling bullying since bullying has a detrimental impact on children’s health and lives.

Furthermore, Stakeholders including parents and educators of ASD students should take care of the learning environment to avoid bullying.

6 Limitations

The study is constrained by the researcher’s inexperience. Although it broadens the scope, using a systematic literature review lacks structural adherence. Inconsistent or insufficient data could be the consequence of manual data gathering and correlation. The analysis of a single researcher might contain bias. There is a dearth of empirical research on bullying including ASD in the UAE, and it is unknown how it affects adolescents with ASD.

7 Recommendations

Since studies only discuss bullying of ASD students by their peers, future systematic literature reviews should investigate other factors that have an impact on bullying ASD students. Including teachers’ perspectives on their students’ inclusion in mainstream schools could lead to more comprehensive studies. Additionally, it is advised to use quality to limit the search area.

It is advisable to exclude out-of-date items that are older than 20 years. The term related to bullying of students in UAE schools should be the subject of further published studies i.e., more studies need to be published to raise awareness regarding bullying ASD students in mainstream schools in the UAE.