Arrested Development: Strategies for Supporting Children and Adolescents with Eating Disorders Reach Their Potential

This product is free for BHN members.

This webinar was presented live on April 27, 2022.

For a very long time, professionals have known that eating disorders frequently present as a delay in growth or development in children and adolescents. The average age of onset for eating disorders has decreased by 2 years with more patients presenting at latency. With the addition of avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) to the DSM-5, individuals seeking eating disorders care are often quite young. As a result, younger patients will be seeking eating disorders care. Review of growth in the context of eating patterns in these youth can identify disruptions in developmental trajectory beginning in toddlerhood. While there is consensus that nutritional state greatly impacts the medical complications of eating disorders, recent evidence indicates that some medical complications, like bone density, may not be reversible. Thus, supporting individuals with eating disorders in returning to adequate growth and development is of the utmost importance. This workshop will assist professionals in detecting early growth changes for youth with eating disorders while emphasizing medical, nutritional and therapeutic strategies to allow resumption of normal growth and development to minimize the lasting effects of the eating disorder. Participants will utilize case scenarios to practice establishing treatment targets pairing them with practical interventions for use in their own care settings.

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 2
Performance Indicators: 8.1, 10.2, 10.5

Learning Objectives

1. Identify at least 2 tools for evaluating changes in growth and development in children and youth.
2. Recognize at least 3 features of altered growth and development that are caused by alteration in nutrition in eating disorders.
3. List at least 2 therapeutic strategies to support catch-up growth and development.

Speaker

Leah L. Graves RDN, LDN, CEDRD-S, FAED

Leah Graves is the Vice President of Nutrition and Culinary Services at Accanto Health with brands The Emily Program and Veritas Collaborative. Leah has been treating eating disorders for over 30 years. Prior to joining Accanto Health, she provided nutrition leadership at Veritas Collaborative as well as the Laureate Eating Disorders Program in Tulsa, OK.

Leah is a founding member of the Academy for Eating Disorders where she has served on the Academy’s Executive Team, Board of Directors and chaired the North American Teaching Days for the International Conference on Eating Disorders in addition to serving the Academy on the Nominating, Fellowship Selection, and Membership Recruitment and Retention Committees. She has also been honored with the distinction of Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders and honorary Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian by the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals.

Leah has been involved in eating disorders advocacy with the National Eating Disorders Association as a member of the Conference Planning Committee and with the Oklahoma Eating Disorders Association where she served as President and Governance Committee Chair. She currently serves on the Advisory Board for both Rock Recovery and the National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

Leah has been invited faculty at many eating disorders conferences including the International Conference on Eating Disorders, Hispano-Latin American Congress on Eating Disorders, International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals Symposium, Renfrew Foundation Conference, Multi-service Eating Disorders Association Conference, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference, as well as numerous regional and local conferences. Leah has written several publications pertaining to nutrition and eating disorders and is highly respected within the eating disorders field for her expertise in medical nutrition therapy, nutrition counseling, clinical supervision, and research.