I have an almost 13 year old son, and I've always wondered if he is bullied at school. He is in a lucky situation, in that he sits with a rather large group of other kids, most of who would fall somewhere on the spectrum, whether they have an official diagnosis or not. There are actually TWO tables like this -- the smart, unathletic guys who are nice -- and they are a rather large group. One guy tried to bully my son's table -- and then, magically, the boys mentioned this problem to a teacher, and it was TAKEN CARE OF. The school has a strong anti-bullying stance, and smart teachers. They instantly began to keep an eye on the lunch group, and would head off this bully before he could do anything, saying things like "Just move on, Alex". Also, somebody must have talked with this kid because NOW, periodically he will come and actually SIT WITH the kids and eat lunch with them, tell them about his love life, etc. It's hilarious. I could never have predicted such a magical response from an initially bad situation.
You may want to call the school and ask them what their bullying policy is, and describe our story to them.
Also, daily ask your son his lunch situation. Encourage him to sit with the other smart, unathletic boys. There is power in numbers. Some day, those quiet, smart, geeky boys may be running the high school.
11 Mar 2009, 8:15 am
