Another teen suicide: Teen bullied because of learning disability

Seventeen year old Jesse Buchsbaum from Boyertown, PA hanged himself Monday night.


His friends have told his family that the quiet shy teen may have been bullied recently.

The grieving family fears that triggered the suicide and is sure that Jessie had been constantly bullied as a result of him being little, and having a speech impediment and learning disability.

His mother told news sources that there was an incident back in junior high school and most recently an incident involving kids hanging outside a local McDonalds, laughing and pointing at Jesse.

Although little research has been conducted on the relation between learning disabilities (LD) and bullying, research indicates that children with LD are at greater risk of being teased and physically bullied.

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are more likely than other children to be bullied. They also are somewhat more likely than others to bully their peers.

Children with medical conditions that affect their appearance (e.g., cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spina bifida) are more likely to be victimized by peers. Frequently, these children report being called names related to their disability

Obesity also may place children at higher risk of being bullied. In a study of children aged 11–16, researchers found that overweight and obese girls (aged 11–16) and boys (aged 11–12) were more likely than normal-weight peers to be teased or to be made fun of and to experience relational bullying (e.g., to be socially excluded). Overweight and obese girls were also more likely to be physically bullied.

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