Special Education

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

• Meet with the student and parents to talk about expectations with respect to assignments and study routines. Encourage the student to participate in the planning of the in-class program.
• Avoid exposing the student to activities that may negatively draw attention to their weight, body image or eating disorder (e.g., weighing, skinfolds). Such practices reinforce stereotypes; feelings of shame, guilt and anxiety; whether the student is participating in the activity or simply watching other students participate.
• When undertaking food-related class discussions, “normalize” the information for everyone.
• Refrain from making comments to the student about appearance. These comments are likely to be misinterpreted.
• Help the student set realistic goals. Students with eating disorders may be rigid in their thinking and tend to set unrealistically high standards for their academic work. In the case of a student with an acute eating disorder, the usual time lines for class work and assignments will be irrelevant. Students with eating disorders may need the same consideration as any student with serious, chronic health concerns. Short-term academic achievement should be secondary to long-term health concerns.
• While the educational expectations of teachers may shift, behavioural ones should not. A student with an eating disorder should be able to meet the same standards of behaviour as other students in the class. “Acting out” or other disruptive behaviours should not be tolerated and should be dealt with in the same manner you would treat any other student, and with the same sensitivity.
• Encourage a supportive classroom environment. Art work and other media should model healthy attitudes toward personal body image, food, and weight. Appearance-based jokes or other forms of harassment are not to be tolerated, regardless of whether or not you have a student with an eating disorder in your class.
• Be flexible with test and class assignments. A student with an eating disorder may frequently be absent for treatment. Flexibility will help the student to manage stress and the workload.
• Recognize and understand that the student with an eating disorder may be experiencing the effects of starvation, which impairs the ability to concentrate on school work. The student may no longer have mastery over material previously understood.
• Recognize behavioural cues before a situation escalates out of control. The student with an eating disorder may experience anxiety attacks and have very low tolerance for stress. Outward signs of irritability or agitation, tears, or sudden withdrawal are signs that the student’s stress level is rising. At this point, teachers should do whatever is needed to defuse the situation by treating the student as they would any other manifesting similar behaviours, e.g., permit the student to take a break, lie down, go for a walk.
• Encourage a student who has difficulty joining a group to participate in activities, without drawing attention to them. Often it is most effective to assign these students to work in small groups with two or three amiable, non-threatening peers. Be aware, however, of outward signs of stress. Never force a student to participate in a group activity.
• Be wary of outward signs of high-risk behaviours, such as substance use/abuse, particularly in students with bulimia nervosa. These behaviours are often coping mechanisms and indicators that the student’s stress level is rising. Report any such behaviour to the designated case manager.