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

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

  • 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.
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School Personnel

Each day, hundreds of thousands of children enter classrooms around the world to endure a silent struggle. It is a struggle that brings untold amounts of emotional torment, social adversity, and academic hardship. One that causes otherwise bright and promising students to miss the education they deserve and fall short of their true potential. But it is also one that need never happen. If only someone knew…

At any given time, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, affects approximately 1 in 100 children, meaning the vast majority of school personnel have encountered, and will continue to encounter, many students coping with the disorder. But although OCD is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses in childhood, it frequently goes unnoticed.

As a teacher on the front lines of students’ educational experiences, you are among our greatest resources to help. Students with OCD: A Handbook for School Personnel is designed to empower you with the vital information necessary to do just that. Providing a comprehensive and organized window into this complex and largely misunderstood disorder, this handbook helps educators:

  • Identify commons signs and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Understand obsessions and compulsions in youth with regard to age, gender, and cause
  • Assist in identifying and referring students with OCD for possible evaluation and treatment
  • Work with students, other school staff, parents, and health professionals to determine the best course of action
  • Play a crucial role in the in-classroom treatment process that benefits the student without compromising your other responsibilities

With this OCD handbook, educators like you can be confident they enter their classrooms in a position to do their very best for all students. Arm yourself with the actionable awareness and understanding that can a make a world of difference for a child with OCD.