NEDA TOOLKIT for Educators
Guidance for schools on an education plan for a student
in treatment
Recovering from an eating disorder is a long-term process. Students may miss significant amounts of time from
school due to treatment and ongoing appointments. Here are some suggested strategies for helping students
during and after treatment.
• Meet with the student and parents before
the student returns to school to discuss the
support needed
• Work with treatment team and school to
ensure the reintegration plan takes the
student’s medical, psychological, and academic
needs into account (upon re-entry, student
may need supportive counseling, medical
monitoring, release from physical education
classes, meal monitoring, and ongoing
communication between treatment team and
family) • Be aware of the effects of eating disorders on
cognitive abilities, so your expectations are
realistic • Be flexible while balancing realistic workloads,
deadlines, and the need to fulfill important
learning goals
• Consider the timing of potentially stressful
decisions (i.e., discussing if the student needs
to repeat the grade)
• Try to minimize the long-term impact on the
student’s career choice
• When making decisions about workload,
consider the student’s medical, psychological,
academic, and developmental needs
• Stay up to date on the latest changes to the
students 504 plan or IEP
• Reduce homework load and alter deadlines
where appropriate
• Recognize that the student’s reconnecting with
friends may be difficult and stressful
• Provide extra academic support, especially
after a long absence
• Work with the student and the parents to
successfully re-integrate the child into full-time
schooling • Understand the potential long-term need for
missed school for medical and therapeutic
appointments and management of ongoing
eating disorder symptoms
• Refrain from discussing food, weight, exercise,
and dieting in the classroom
• Help school devise reduced workload for
student, alternative assignments for physical
education requirements, extended time on
assignments/tests, peer tutoring, copies of
class notes from missed days, and access to a
quiet study location, as needed
• Advocate for the student (e.g., help student
and/or his/her parents negotiate scheduling
conflicts between school and doctor
appointments) • Work with administrators to create a healthy
school environment (e.g., zero-tolerance
of appearance-based teasing and bullying,
adequate time to eat lunch, reducing or
eliminating in-school weighing and BMI
measurements) • Promote alternatives to class activities that
may trigger eating disorder behaviors (e.g.,
weigh-ins, co-education swim class, calorie
counting in nutrition class)
• Facilitate a manageable reintegration into
extracurricular and social activities, which may
have become marginalized during the illness
Please note that your professional rights and respon
sibilities may vary by state and school system; please
consult your school administration as well as any
relevant local and professional organizations for
information on regional guidelines.
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