Special Education

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

Opportunities for Pro-Active Intervention

Eating disorder experts believe there may be value in early intervention strategies. Preventive programs that stress healthy nutritional habits and help young people to develop positive attitudes toward their bodies may have long-term value.

A number of practical and theoretical issues arise in any discussion about the merits of implementing preventive efforts to address social problems, such as eating disordered behaviours. Since most students with eating disorders are found in secondary schools, the extent of contact with any one classroom teacher can reduce the opportunity for teachers to intervene in a consistent or meaningful way. Another concern is that it may be unwise to direct attention to these topics, since the general therapeutic approach with students with eating disorders is to discourage them from obsessing about their weight and body image. It is very difficult to tell how students who are at risk for developing an eating disorder will react to a class discussion about dieting or body image.

Practical problems arise even for teachers using the Career and Personal Planning (CAPP) Grades 8 to 12 or Personal Planning Grades K to 7 curricula. It is difficult to guess how at-risk students will react to a discussion or exercise which they may perceive to be directed at them. In more practical terms, teachers have a number of outcomes they must plan to cover. Nutrition and healthy self-image are only part of the curriculum.

On the other hand, schools offer the most efficient and effective means available to promote the psychological, social and physical health of school-aged children and adolescents. The way youth develop and adapt is shaped by the settings in which they spend the majority of their time. A favourite teacher or principal may be the first individual approached by an emotionally distressed student who wishes to talk to someone about fears regarding diet, weight control and eating.

By having some skills to recognize the signs of disordered behaviours, and by knowing what to do to help a student in crisis, a classroom teacher will be ready to respond when the situation arises. In addition to being prepared, there are a number of other preventive efforts that can be undertaken by the classroom teacher to support and enhance the emotional and social well-being of all students.

Schools offer the most efficient and effective means available to promote the psychological, social and physical health of school-aged children and adolescents.

Key Preventive Efforts

  • Give attention to the climate within the school and the quality of the social environments in which students interact on a day to day basis. Efforts to improve in these areas may begin with an environmental scan of each classroom to ensure that what students see and how students are treated clearly communicates that personality and individuality are more important that external appearance.
  • Examine your personal attitudes toward eating, weight and self-concept. Teachers can play an important role in transmitting attitudes, shaping students’ beliefs about the self, and giving students tools that will enable them to make informed choices about eating and weight.
  • Recognize and use the cross-grade, cross-curricular focus that exists within the Integrated Resource Packages (IRPs) used in the British Columbia school system. Teachers can access additional program materials and teacher lesson plan kits for the prevention of eating disorders from sources listed in the Resources section of this document. Themes of these resources include: signs and symptoms of eating disorders, dieting, body image, self-esteem, the impact of the media, healthy eating, and sources of support. On reviewing the IRPs, teachers will find learning outcomes, suggested teaching strategies and suggested assessment strategies across the curriculum which address these same themes. These learning outcomes are intended to reflect the required knowledge and skills students need to obtain healthy eating and living skills. (See Appendix B for examples of learning outcomes in subject areas; ranging from English Language Arts to Science; focusing on nutrition, media awareness, disordered eating and healthy living.)
  • Give students the basic skills required to recognize disordered eating behaviour. Instruction on how to seek the help of a responsible adult can contribute to the development of a positive, caring school, and the appropriate identification of students in need of professional help.
  • Opportunities to initiate preventive classroom activities often arise spontaneously from classroom discussion. In these instances, the following suggestions may be helpful:
    • Avoid forcing any students to participate in the class discussion. Do not call on students who clearly want to stay out of the conversation.
    • Take steps to ensure that the discussion remains positive, that the information presented by students is accurate, and that no person or “type” of person (e.g., obese people, models, advertisers) is ridiculed, blamed or otherwise singled out.
    • Be prepared to deal with the fallout of the discussion. Some students may come to teachers with specific concerns that arise from the classroom discussion or exercise, while others may withdraw or show other signs of stress.
    • Be clear about objectives in teaching students the learning outcomes related to nutrition and body image. Goals that are cross-curricular and intended to promote the general values of nutrition and healthy self-esteem, and curriculum-based approaches are best used in the classroom situation. If teachers have a specific concern about particular students, they should follow the steps in Identifying and Reporting At-Risk Students, pp. 21-27.
    • In all cases do not assume, or allow a peer helper to assume, the role of therapist or mediator. Concerned students should be advised to speak with a school counsellor who is informed about eating disorders and resources for treatment.
    • At all times, strive to maintain a classroom environment that celebrates the diversity of the human form and experience. Strive to design instructional activities that make all students feel comfortable and valued.
By having some skills to recognize the signs of disordered behaviours, and by knowing what to do to help a student in crisis, a classroon teacher will be ready to respond when the situation arises.