Abstract
Over the last twenty years there has been an international growth in how educational facilities can promote the physical and mental health of children and young people. The ‘Healthy School’ approach incorporates the whole school including teachers, support staff and cooks, as well as health professionals and the wider community. At the hub of this approach are the young person and their family: schools alone cannot change health. This chapter illustrates how health promotion is integral to the overall learning of children and young people with intellectual disabilities in both mainstream and special school settings. It explores strategies by which teachers and support staff can ensure that health education is embedded as part of personal, social and health education, and cross curricula. Obesity, sexual health and personal relationships, smoking/alcohol and illicit drugs, and mental health (including suicide and bullying) are explored. The importance of working with parents and families and a range of other professionals are interwoven throughout this chapter.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Health Promotion for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities |
| Place of Publication | Maindenhead, England |
| Publisher | McGraw-Hill |
| Pages | 160-173 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780335246946 |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - Jan 2014 |
