05/10/2026
These days bullying and excluding a child can look different from how it was in the past. A child can be removed from a group chat and experience sadness. Children with Autism understand a lot more than people think. They experience anxiety when they are not getting notifications from their friends. Just like anybody would in this era.
One thing nobody really tells you about being a speech therapist is that when you work with a child for a long time, what happens to them starts to affect you too.
When they’re bullied, it hurts you.
When they’re left out, it hurts you.
And when they’re suddenly kicked out of a WhatsApp group or a Google chat because they’re different… you actually take it personally.
Because you’ve watched this child grow. You know them. You know how much these little things can affect them.
I really wish parents would talk to their own children about this.
That a neurodivergent child isn’t someone you need to control. You don’t need to tell them how to behave, how to talk, how to play, or how to fit in just so they can be accepted.
Just let them be different. Treat them equally. Respect them. Include them.
Because being excluded doesn’t just end with being removed from a group chat. It can make a child nervous. It can make them anxious. It can make them sad. And sometimes, it can make them feel like there’s something wrong with them.
And yes, as therapists, we work on these things.
In this video, we’re helping her process that sadness. I am helping her understand what she’s feeling and giving her the tools to work through the anxiety and nervousness that comes with it.
And that part is important.
But as a therapist, you still find yourself thinking… I wish she didn’t have to go through this in the first place.
Because just like you wouldn’t want your own child to be bullied, excluded or made to feel like they don’t belong…
you don’t want that for her either.
