Special Education

Teaching Students with Mental Health Disorders:
Resources for Teachers: Volume 1 - Eating Disorders

Helping Students with Eating Disorders

Students with eating disorders present a unique challenge for teachers. Eating disorders, particularly less severe cases, can be virtually undetectable. In British Columbia schools, many hundreds of students with diagnosed eating disorders participate in normal routines without their teachers or classmates realizing there is reason for concern. Even in more severe cases, many teachers never suspect these students have a problem at all. Often, they appear to be model students: helpful, hardworking and anxious to please. When terms like “anorexic” or “bulimic” are used to describe them, some teachers, along with friends and family members, harbour doubts. It can be difficult to understand how someone who appears so competent could be suffering from such a debilitating emotional disorder.

Many people lack a context for understanding eating disorders. This resource guide has been developed to help educators:

  • access basic information about students with eating disorders,
  • achieve a realistic awareness about eating disorders,
  • learn background information to assist in identifying early warning signs of eating disorders,
  • develop strategies for supporting students with eating disorders and their families.

Eating disorders are complicated and serious. Only a fully trained therapist should attempt to counsel someone suffering from these disorders. Teachers, however, can play an important role in the healing process. Teachers are in a position to spot the warning signs of eating disorders. As caring and informed adults, who see the students on a daily basis, teachers may also play a preventive role by leading classroom exercises that explore issues such as nutrition, body image and self-esteem. As well, teachers can help create school and classroom environments that are particularly sensitive to the needs of students with eating disorders.

This resource guide has been divided into five sections, covering areas of concern identified by experienced educators, including:

  • What are Eating Disorders?: general background information
  • Identifying and Referring At-risk students: strategies for identifying and referring at-risk students,
  • Teaching Students with Eating Disorders: strategies for supporting students in the classroom,
  • Opportunities for Proactive Intervention: preventative strategies for classroom teachers, and
  • Appendices and Resources: additional sources of information.

Above all, this resource is intended to support the classroom teacher who is teaching a student with an eating disorder by providing insight into this complicated health and mental health condition. It addresses the stress that parents of a student with an eating disorder may be feeling. This resource is designed to support teachers in acquiring the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to allow them to feel confident in responding in a positive and proactive manner to students with eating disorders.

This resource is designed to support teachers in acquiting the knowledge, skills and attitudes neede to allow them to feel confident in responding in a positive an proactive manner to students with eating disorders.