A video of a 17-year-old with autism and epilepsy from Middleburg Heights, Ohio being beaten is now making the rounds in the news. The victim, Nick Hoffman who was attacked by a fellow student was left with a concussion. The attack happened at Polaris Career Center on Monday.
Their superintendent Bob Timmons in a statement to News 5 Cleveland where I found out about this story said
“We were made aware of an incident that occurred yesterday of an alleged student assault which was video-taped and posted to social media. We immediately began an investigation and are following our disciplinary procedures.”
Nick’s mom has said that before the incident that her son had been bullied on a weekly basis at school.
Growing up with autism I was often a victim of bullying. Now as a professional speaker I give talks in the schools in the hopes of making sure less kids are bullied. Some tips I give include…
- Knowing that bullying usually stops when someone steps in and says, “What you are doing is not OK.” Don’t be afraid to be that person.
- Encourage other students and be positive. “Make everybody feel like somebody, right now,” Magro said.
- Finally, Take a pledge to stop bullying — and tell others to do it, too.
Statistics have indicated those with special needs are twice as likely to be bullied compared to their non-disabled peers. We need more understanding and acceptance in the world.
