No More Victims E-Book

Jed Baker

• Herausgeber: Future Horizons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 57

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

The digital world offers a wonderful way to communicate and socialize with others. Yet, it is also rife with the dangers of being victimized emotionally, physically, and financially. Trusting individuals with autism spectrum disorders, who are oftentimes socially isolated, are especially vulnerable to online predators. Finally, we have a resource to help prepare them for the minefields they may encounter on the Internet.



In this much-needed book, Dr. Baker presents three main areas of concern for our kids:

Cyber bullying

Online sexual predators

Internet scams



Through Dr. Baker's invaluable advice, kids will learn what to look out for, whom to avoid, and how to protect themselves when they're communicating online.

Leseprobe

No More Victims:

Protecting Those with Autism from Cyber Bullying,

Internet Predators & Scams

All marketing and publishing rights guaranteed to and reserved by:

721 W. Abram StreetArlington, TX 76013(800) 489-0727(817) 277-0727(817) 277-2270 (fax)E-mail: [email protected]

©2013 Jed BakerCover and interior design by John Yacio IIIAll rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.No part of this product may be reproduced in any manner whatsoeverwithout written permission of Future Horizons, Inc, except in the case ofbrief quotations embodied in reviews.

ISBN: 978-1-935274-94-0

Introduction

1: Types of Internet Victimization

2: How to Prevent Cyber Bullying

3: How to Protect Kids from Online Predators

4: Don’t Be a Victim of Internet Scams

5: An Insider’s View of Keeping Safe in the Digital World(by Jennifer McIlwee Myers)

APPENDIX A: “Be a Hero, Not a Bully” Contract

APPENDIX B: Use of Phone and Internet Contract

References

About the Author

The digital world of cell phones and other Internet devices offers a wonderful way to communicate and socialize with others. Yet, it is also rife with dangers of being victimized emotionally, physically, and financially. In this book, I address three main areas of concern that pertain especially to individuals with autism spectrum disorders: cyber bullying, online sexual predators, and Internet scams.

Individuals on the autism spectrum may be particularly susceptible to these types of scams because of challenges with being able to gauge and understand others’ intentions, isolation, increased time online, and difficulty with developing assertive communication skills. It can be hard for them to determine when an online perpetrator may be bullying or trying to exploit someone, if they have difficulty with perspective taking and understanding other people’s motives and intent. The social isolation individuals on the spectrum experience makes them more likely to spend time online and more apt to respond to online scammers and predators who offer friendship, romance, or other rewards. Finally, difficulty with communication skills may make it especially challenging to seek help or end communications with online perpetrators.

I have based the advice in this book on current research about cyber bullying, online predators, and scams. However, there is no substitute for hearing the perspective of someone on the spectrum who negotiates the dangers of the digital world on a daily basis. Thus, Chapter 5 features Jennifer McIlwee Myers, an insightful author with Asperger’s syndrome. She provides an insider’s view of how she stays safe on the Internet. She also explains what parents and others can do to help their loved ones use the Internet safely.

Cyber Bullying is a term typically used to describe emotional victimization and abuse among school- and college-aged individuals. It occurs via the Internet or through digital means. Students may use the Internet to harass, intimidate, or bully others. Cyber bullying may include:

   I   Posting insulting and embarrassing information or pictures of others on a Web siteExample: In several high schools across the country, students have been suspended or expelled after creating Web sites on which they could “rate the attractiveness” of their peers. Students who were rated as attractive, as well as those who were rated poorly, were potentially embarrassed or humiliated in a public forum.

  II   Fooling victims into disclosing personal or sensitive information, which the predator(s) will later use against themExample: While on Facebook, one of my male students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) received a message from a girl he knew well, saying that she really liked him and wanted to date him. She asked that he e-mail her a nude photo of himself. He sent the photo, only to find out later that he had sent the photo to someone who had posed as the girl he knew. The actual person who had requested the photo had hacked into the girl’s account, posed as her to get this photo, and intended to send the picture out to students all over the school. Fortunately, the boy’s parents and the police were informed. They were able to trace the source of the hacking, and they retrieved the photo before it was distributed.

III   Sending threatening or insulting messages directly to victimsExample: A middle-school boy with Asperger’s syndrome posted some YouTube videos of songs he wrote. Some peers from his school commented online. They demeaned the boy and his songs, calling him “retarded” and other derogatory names. The boy’s parents sought help from the school and the police. The police would not get involved, and the school did not have the legal means to trace the source of the comments. In the end, the boy took down the YouTube videos and blocked comments from others.

IV   Impersonating others to send insulting or embarrassing messagesExample: Four students who very much liked their math teacher thought it would be funny to create an Instagram account in their teacher’s name. They posted his picture, which they got from Facebook, and posted information like, “I love math.” What they did not bargain for was that other students, whom they had permitted to “follow” this Instagram account, posted derogatory comments about the teacher. The school traced the Instagram account to one of the student’s phones and then to all four students who admitted to creating the account. The students received in-school suspensions and were asked to create a project to warn incoming middle-schoolers the following year about how to avoid cyber bullying.

Online Sexual Predators

Whereas cyber bullying is a term usually reserved for emotional abuse among peers, sexual predators use the Internet to seek out younger victims to sexually abuse. They often pose as other people to be able to befriend vulnerable children and teens. They may blackmail students into sending nude pictures of themselves and set up a meeting, where they can abuse their victims.

Internet Scams

In the adult world, cyber bullying often manifests in the form of Internet scams, where victims fall prey to those who take advantage of them—typically for financial gain. For example, on some online dating sites, predators pose as would-be dates, using fake pictures or videos to attract others and foster a trusting relationship, only to eventually try to extort money from their victims.

Who is likely to be a victim of cyber bullying,

online predators, and Internet scams?

Cyber Bullying

Anyone can be victimized, not only those on the autism spectrum. For example, according to the Cyber Bullying Research Center, about 20%–25% of 11- to 18-year-olds have experienced some form of cyber bullying, and 10%–20% experience it regularly.1 However, according to Sofronoff, Dark, and Stone, certain characteristics are associated with a greater likelihood of being bullied.2