The increasing amount of time teens and young adults spend on social networking sites has drawn increasing attention to the link between viewing and adapting disordered eating behaviors. A study at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College outlines both the problem and some solutions to stop the drift toward disordered eating. Many suggestions are relatively simple for parents and family members to implement, such as talking about weight discrimination and asking about bullying about weight and other experiences at school. The internet has brought help in many ways, such as a web-based self-help program for those with BED, BN and OSFED who are waiting for outpatient treatment (see the article elsewhere in this issue). The program, named “everybody Plus,” is helping bridge the waiting time for treatment. And, for end of the summer reading, Dr. Maryrose Bauscha brings us a review of The Emotional Eating, Chronic Dieting, Binge Eating & Body Image Workbook.
—MKS
Janice Goldschmidt
Has worked with individuals with IDD for the last decade, and written and presented her work in a range of professional formats. She received her Master’s degree in Nutrition from the University of Maryland-College Park, where she initially developed her program for development of food preparation skills, Active Engagement. As Director of Nutrition Services at Community Support Services, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD), she has continued to build on Active Engagement, which now includes many differing contexts for guiding individuals with IDD and autism to independent cooking skills. She has also worked on the identification, classification, and treatment of eating disorders for this population.