Academic, Social and Emotional Success : Supporting a Child with OCD in School
Parents may wonder whether teachers understand their child or how to support their child without worsening OCD symptoms. The good news is that parents do not have to navigate these challenges alone. This article provides parents with guidance to help their child with OCD succeed in school. With careful planning and open communication, children with OCD can achieve academic, social, and emotional success throughout the school year.
Strategy #1: Establish School Goals with the Child’s Clinician
The first line of treatment for children with OCD typically occurs in clinical settings. Parents are important members of the treatment team. In collaboration with psychologists, psychiatrists, and other care providers, parents establish goals and implement home-based supports to help their children successfully navigate the challenges presented by OCD.
The child’s teachers want to help, but they might not fully understand OCD, until parents share their child’s unique experiences. As parents prepare for the upcoming school year, they should talk with their clinician to establish goals for the school environment. This may include selecting skills that their child can work on to generalize into the school setting, and identifying specific strategies or reminders that teachers can provide to help their child when OCD symptoms become overwhelming. Parents should ask their clinical team to participate in school-based education planning meetings, such as Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings or Section 504 plan meetings. Even if they are not available to participate in the meetings, the clinician team can provide a written summary of goals and strategies that are appropriate for the school environment.
Strategy #2: Connect with the Child’s Educational Team
Within school settings, OCD symptoms can negatively affect a child’s academic performance, social relationships, and emotional well-being. Depending on the severity of symptoms, children with OCD may qualify for support through either special education or Section 504. If the child does not currently receive disability-related supports in school, parents should contact their child’s principal to request an evaluation. Even if the child is succeeding academically, the child may be eligible to receive additional accommodations and services that will help reduce stress levels and build positive social relationships. Examples include providing additional time for assignments, access to a quiet space, scheduled check-ins with a trusted adult, and flexibility on days when OCD symptoms are more intense.
If the child already has a special education plan (commonly called an IEP) or a Section 504 plan, parents should request a meeting prior to the start of the school year. This meeting can be an opportunity to connect their child’s clinical treatment plan with their school environment (see Strategy #1 above). Parents should discuss their child’s experiences in school, in terms of academics, social relationships, and emotional well-being. In school settings, there is a fundamental interconnectedness between these domains. In collaboration with the educational team, parents should identify goals and strategies for success related to all three areas. Parents should also develop a communication plan that includes regular check-ins and progress updates.
Strategy #3: Parents Should Talk with Their Child
As children mature, they become better able to articulate the challenges and stressors associated with their OCD symptoms. The obsessions and compulsions associated with OCD can be time consuming, stressful, and produce feelings of intense anxiety. These negative experiences can worsen at times during the school day. Parents should create time to check in with their child after school. Even a short conversation can help parents better understand what parts of the day felt manageable and which moments felt especially difficult.
Parents should ask their child to identify specific moments in the school day that might be uniquely difficult. They might experience difficulties related to task completion (e.g., if they want an academic assignment to be “perfect” but are not provided enough time to complete the task), transitioning to new activities (e.g., moving between classrooms or switching activities within the same classroom), or social relationships (e.g., working productively during group projects). Parents should talk with their child about strategies and skills they can use to successfully manage these situations. This provides an opportunity for the child to connect the strategies learned in clinical treatment with their school experience. It also provides an important outlet for the child to express frustrations and identify goals and priorities in navigating the symptoms of OCD in the school environment.
Strategy #4: Focus on the Big Picture
Even in the most structured and supportive learning environments, schools present challenges that can be difficult for children with OCD to navigate successfully. There are a variety of factors throughout the school day that are difficult to predict and beyond the child's control. These include factors related to sensory input, transitions, changes to routines and procedures, and time constraints. To compound matters, these challenges may change throughout the school year, as the curriculum progresses and expectations increase for all students.
Although it can be difficult, parents should try to stay focused on the bigger picture goals for their child. It is important to stay patient and allow the child’s OCD-related management skills to develop and grow at a rate that is appropriate for the child. There will be times when it feels like the child is taking two steps forward and one step backward. However, each step is an opportunity for the child to practice and learn new skills in a supportive learning environment with teachers and peers. Progress is rarely measured by having a perfect day. Instead, parents should celebrate the moments their child used a coping strategy, asked for help, or faced a difficult situation with courage. It is important to maintain consistent and open lines of communication with the child’s teachers and clinical providers. It is important to take time to recognize and celebrate the positives. This will make a significant impact on the child’s wellbeing and overall sense of accomplishment.
Every child with OCD has unique strengths. Every success, whether big or small, deserves celebration. Supporting a child with OCD in school requires strong collaboration, open communication, and a focus on both day-to-day needs and long-term growth. By aligning clinical goals with school supports and maintaining ongoing conversations with educators and their child, parents can help their child realize success. While challenges will arise, each experience provides an opportunity for the child to build skills, confidence, and resilience. With patience and encouragement, children with OCD can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
William Blackwell, Ed.D. is an associate professor of special education at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. His work focuses on improving educational outcomes for children with disabilities and their families. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a notable part of his family system.
Christina M. Gushanas, Ph.D. is the Eleanor & Charles Garrett Endowed Assistant Professor of Special Education in the School of Teaching and Learning at Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX). Her work focuses on interventions and services to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities throughout school and into adulthood.
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