Dealing with Mental Disorders in the Classroom

Dealing with Mental Disorders in the Classroom

Some 15 to 20 percent of children and adolescents suffer from mental disorders (e.g. anxiety disorders,
depression, AD(H)D, post-traumatic stress disorders, etc). The children and young people in this situation often experience their role as a student at school as a special challenge. In many cases, student-teacher interactions, cooperation in study groups and the performance of these students are negatively impacted by the disorder. In order to deal with these students in a good, healthy and equitable way, teachers and educational staff need background knowledge about the various disorders and their special aspects as well as strategies for dealing with them in the context of school and the classroom. This is why this book first sets out to present the common disorders children and adolescents suffer from in a way that teachers and educational staff can easily understand. Secondly, it introduces strategies, which are practical and at the same time scientifically sound,for dealing with the particular features of the respective disorders for use in the context of classroom management. Thirdly, it looks at some disorder-specific counselling strategies aimed providing support for students who are affected and their parents.

• Recognising mental disorders at school
• Being able to react to specific disorders
• Background knowledge and practical ways of dealing with the situation

TARGET GROUP
Teaching staff and teachers in training