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

  • 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.

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

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

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

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

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

  • 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.

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

  • 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.

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

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

  • 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

  • …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.

  • 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

  • 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
MentalHealth

Health Professionals

You know OCD and its secretive nature. You understand its complexities and how the management of this disorder in children and adolescents demands great sensitivity and skill. But your time with these children is limited, and it is critical that your expertise reach beyond the four walls of your office to the teachers, parents, and other school professionals with whom these children interact on a daily basis. At the same time, you may not be familiar with all the intricacies of the impact of the disorder in the school environment and the unique contributions school personnel can make to help struggling students. Your greatest potential to provide effective, comprehensive treatment for your young patients comes with a detailed understanding of the perspectives, challenges, and capabilities of school professionals who will be your partners in helping students with OCD and the context in which they work.

Students with OCD: A Handbook for School Personnel is the new, definitive resource designed to create the critical link between your expertise on OCD and the school environment. Through its detailed coverage of obsessive-compulsive disorder as it pertains to students, the OCD Handbook gives health professionals a unique window into the OCD classroom experience, enabling you to:

  • Design the most actionable treatment plan possible through an in-depth understanding of classroom and school dynamics – including the implementation of school-based cognitive-behavioral therapy, as appropriate
  • Learn about the latest studies, publications, and resources contributing to our ever-evolving understanding of childhood OCD and its appearance on the educational landscape
  • Understand the most up-to-date laws and processes for obtaining special education and other school services to support students with OCD as well as your role in those processes

Moreover, you are in a distinct position to inform parents, educators, and others close to the student with OCD – especially those who are new to the disorder – about this comprehensive and easy-to-read resource based upon the latest research on pediatric OCD.

Empower yourself with an all-inclusive review of this complex disorder. Go even further by gaining a powerful tool to align your efforts with the educators who spend as many as 1,100 hours per year with our children: make Students with OCD: a Handbook for School Personnel part of your treatment regimen for every child with OCD in your care.