OCD and Anxiety in School: The Most Misunderstood Students

Sarah sits at the back of the room. Her face has gone pale. Her hands are getting clammy. The teacher hands out the test. She feels nauseous, confused. The room starts to spin. She runs out of the room. The teacher stares at the empty seat. What just happened? OCD and Anxiety in school are often an unnoticed or mislabeled issue.

They are the quiet kids who are afraid to raise their hands. The aggressive kids who are feeling cornered and trapped. The perfectionistic kids who never hand in work because it’s not perfect. They are the kids that don’t participate, are frequently absent and know the nurse by her first name.

They are kids that desperately need help in the school environment, but often don’t. They typically aren’t the squeaky wheel, the front burner problem. They are the ones silently imploding as the mouthy kids are sent to the principal. They are the ones that quietly withdrawal from school.

So how do we help kids suffering with OCD and anxiety in school? It starts with identifying the problem and getting creative with the solutions. Let me explain…