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Current Educational Practices in Classifying and Serving Students with obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

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Abstract

Current educational practices for classifying and serving students with mental health disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been associated with specific problems. These include the stigma of labeling, misalignment of school-based categories (e.g., E/BD, OHI) with clinical diagnoses, and concerns regarding the provision of appropriate services to these students. In the present study, Illinois school psychologists completed a survey on current practices for classifying and serving students with a primary diagnosis of OCD. The results indicated that 0.7% of the students served by school psychologists had a primary diagnosis of OCD. The majority of these students (74.5%) were served under IDEA. Of the students receiving services under IDEA, 51.4% were classified under E/BD and 31.8% under OHI. Approximately two-thirds of the students with OCD (67.1%) were educated in less restrictive settings (e.g., regular classroom with or without resource/part-time special class). School psychologists’ comments suggested a pattern of ambiguity and uncertainty surrounding the appropriateness of IDEA categories for OCD, concerns regarding the stigma of labeling, and problems related to providing appropriate services to these students. Response-to-Intervention (RtI) as an alternative to current evaluation practices is proposed and recommendations for improving traditional categorical service delivery models when RtI is not implemented are provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Teaching and Learning, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA

    Gail B. Adams Ed.D. & Thomas J. Smith

  2. Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA

    Sara E. Bolt

  3. Illinois Indian Prairie School District 204, Aurora, USA

    Patrick Nolten

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  1. Gail B. Adams Ed.D.
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  2. Thomas J. Smith
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  3. Sara E. Bolt
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  4. Patrick Nolten
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Correspondence to Gail B. Adams Ed.D..

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Adams, G.B., Smith, T.J., Bolt, S.E. et al. Current Educational Practices in Classifying and Serving Students with obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Contemp School Psychol 12, 93–105 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340934

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