Considering Institutionalized Violence in Childhood Relational Aggression

IN SUBMISSION to Critical Disability Discourse: Children living with dis/abilities can inherent and internalize a legacy of ableistassumptions that can engender strong feelings of low self-worth and compound schoolyard bullying from within and without (Reeve, 2006) . As a health and human servicesworker and community artist I have long accompanied children in this journey oftransition towards belonging from various professional lenses. As a nurse, we delivergeneral pediatric counseling to stress the importance of helping a child to develop self-esteem as an intrinsic protection from the relational violence of bullying (AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics, 2017) . As a community artist, I recognize this thin descriptionand rapid-fire advice given to caregivers on how to accompany and protect youngpeople in duress does not necessarily offer the depth of insight to trigger a moresensitive attunement to children’s lived experiences nor full assessment of their uniqueneeds. This article will detail an evolving work of response art crystallizing the empathicand somatic resonance of companioning dis/abled children in various points of theirjourney of individuation away from internalised stigma and explore insights into theneeds of the therapeutic alliance from a creative heuristic inquiry process. It challengesthin models of relational aggression to include dis/ability scapegoating on a societallevel and how to companion, language and protect children living with dis/abilities froman individual and collective therapeutic standpoint.