• School personnel may be the first to recognize that a student is experiencing difficulties with OCD.

  • Left untreated, OCD not only may persevere but also poses a risk for the development of other psychiatric disorders.

  • At any given point in time, OCD affects approximately 1 in 100 children.

  • Although a common psychiatric illness in childhood, OCD frequently goes unrecognized by teachers, parents, and other caregivers.

  • The typical school-aged child spends approximately 1,100 hours per year in the school setting.

  • Approximately 75-80% of children OCD have at least one co-existing disorder, such as depression, anxiety, AD/HD, and/or Tourette Syndrome.

  • Two of the top difficulties students with OCD experience are doing homework and concentrating in class.

  • The large majority of school personnel have encountered – or will encounter – students with OCD in their classrooms.

  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is an anxiety disorder characterized by the presence of obsessions and/or compulsions.

  • Difficulties often associated with OCD include problems with sleep, somatic symptoms (e.g., tenseness, shaky hands), psychosocial functioning, and family stress.

  • Obsessions can include fears of contamination, harm, illness, or death; intrusive thoughts about harming oneself or others; excessive religious fears; a compelling need for symmetry or order; and obsessive doubt.

  • With exquisite detail and organization, Dr. Adams presents guidelines for educators to help students and their families find relief from OCD.

    Ellen Sawyer, Executive Director OCD Chicago

  • What a difference this book will make. There is nothing like it out there… I look forward to seeing a copy in every classroom.

    Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.

  • Everyone interested in helping children with OCD navigate the educational system—school personnel, parents, and mental health professionals—will find the material in this book invaluable.

    John March, MD, MPH

  • … well-researched and very thorough with the complexity of OCD easily explained for educators, parents, and therapists. 

    Louise Dabkey, M.S.Ed., CAS, NCSP

  • …a must-have for school professionals. I’m so glad there will finally be a guide for school professionals and parents to turn to.

    Eric Storch, Ph.D.

  • This is an urgently-needed and inspirational book that offers hope through knowledge. The lives of children struggling with OCD will never be the same.

    Gail S., Parent of a child with OCD
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BookOverview

Although a respectable body of literature on childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has developed over the past two decades, scant information has been available regarding the impact of OCD on students in educational settings and what school personnel can do to facilitate their ability to function in school. Indeed, resources for educational professionals have been extremely limited. More recently, several texts on educating students with a variety of different disorders (e.g., AD/HD, Tourette Syndrome, OCD) have emerged, but none has been devoted solely to children and adolescents with OCD.

Students with OCD: A Handbook for School Personnel was born out of a need to fill that void. Although the major audience for this book is school professionals, many individuals – including parents whose children struggle with OCD, health care providers with pediatric patients facing OCD-related challenges in school, and others – will find this handbook a valuable resource.

The OCD Handbook is divided into six parts:

  • Part I
    Introduction to OCD in children and adolescents
  • Part II
    Overview of the most commonly-reported obsessions and compulsions in young people with OCD; how they manifest in school; other characteristics of childhood OCD
  • Part III
    Issues related to childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder: prevalence; age at onset; gender; causes; disorders/other difficulties that occur with OCD; clinical assessment and treatment
  • Part IV
    Effects of OCD on school functioning; how school personnel can help identify and refer children and adolescents with OCD
  • Part V – Comprehensive coverage of school-based treatment for OCD, including:
    • School-based accommodations and support strategies for students with OCD
    • Special issues related to the school-based treatment of OCD
    • Laws pertaining to educational services for students with OCD
    • Categorizing students with OCD under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004
    • Functional behavioral assessment and positive behavior intervention plans for managing OCD-related behavior
    • School-based cognitive-behavioral therapy when an outside therapist is involved
    • School-based treatment when an outside therapist is not involved
  • Part VI
    Conclusion: Some final thoughts on OCD in children and adolescents

Students with OCD: A Handbook for School Personnel provides educators, mental health professionals, and parents a comprehensive understanding of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder. Written with careful attention to detail and organization, it is the definitive resource for helping create actionable change in the lives of children and adolescents who struggle with OCD. The OCD Handbook will empower the reader to help young people with OCD realize their educational potential, thereby enhancing the quality of their lives.