School-Based Anti-Bullying Approaches for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Synthesis

Mainstream anti-bullying interventions can reduce primary school-level victimisation by 15-16% and bullying perpetration by 19%-20% ("Aggression and Violent Behavior," 2019; 45: 111-133). Less is known about anti-bullying interventions for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) even though they are at least 2-4 times more likely to be involved in bullying. This systematic review aimed to identify reported anti-bullying approaches for pupils with SEND, what the evidence is for these approaches reducing bullying and which design factors are linked to a reduction in bullying. We searched 10 databases and four grey literature sources for articles that evaluated school-based anti-bullying strategies for children and young people aged 4-18 years with SEND. This review included 15 studies and used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool for quality and risk of bias. Ten reported a reduction in bullying involvement, but the evidence was variable. A further 27 articles formed a 'suggested strategies' review which synthesised articles without evaluations of interventions but that suggested anti-bullying strategies for use with pupils with SEND. The main suggestion was encouraging social skills and networks. Interventions should be evaluated for feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness. High-quality randomised controlled trials are required to build an evidence base to support pupils with SEND.