A handbook for school personnel

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

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

• 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.

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

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

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

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

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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

• 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

• …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.

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

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