By Autumn Child, Arizona State University, Family and Human Development (M.S.). Part of Autumn’s Neurodivergent Blog Series for educators, written during her Parents2Partners internship.
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Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) affects roughly 1 to 2 percent of people, so you may well teach a student who has it. Students with OCD may experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts and respond with repetitive or reassurance seeking behaviors. When a student or parent shares that a child has OCD, start by learning about it. The International OCD Foundation at iocdf.org is a helpful place to begin.
Learn their triggers
OCD shows up in many ways, and each student is different. For example, a dissection lab might be very hard for a student with contamination fears but fine for another student with OCD. Ask students what they are comfortable with. Unexpected triggers can cause intense distress in front of peers and disrupt learning.
Partner with parents
Involve parents as soon as OCD is shared, and ask how you can support the current treatment plan. If you suspect OCD but nothing has been shared, never try to diagnose or counsel. Listen, show empathy, and ask how you can support the student’s learning, and follow your school’s process for involving families and specialists.
Be careful with reassurance
Students with OCD may repeatedly ask for reassurance about a worry, such as whether they might have cheated on a test. Repeated reassurance can feed the OCD cycle. Work with parents and professionals to learn the best way to respond.
Encourage connection with peers
Students who get stuck in their thoughts may do better with engaging, collaborative activities than with solo worksheets. At the same time, a student with contamination fears may find shared hands on projects hard, which is why knowing each student’s triggers matters. With understanding and planning, every student can connect with classmates.
Picture books for children with OCD
- Up and Down the Worry Hill by Aureen Pinto Wagner, Ph.D.
- What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck by Dawn Huebner, Ph.D.
- My Monster and Me by Nadiya Hussain