{"id":3968,"date":"2014-10-24T07:30:48","date_gmt":"2014-10-24T11:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/njcts.org\/tsparents\/?p=3968"},"modified":"2014-10-24T07:30:48","modified_gmt":"2014-10-24T11:30:48","slug":"students-with-ocd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/njcts.org\/tsparents\/students-with-ocd\/","title":{"rendered":"Students with OCD"},"content":{"rendered":"
While teachers don\u2019t diagnose students, it\u2019s important for them to keep an eye out and notice children\u2019s mannerisms. I had a student in kindergarten once that struggled greatly with obsessive behaviors. When all the other students were told to stop coloring and come to the carpet, he would<\/a>\u00a0continue to color for another ten minutes if allowed. When he was told firmly it was time to come to the carpet, he would begin to cry because his work wasn\u2019t finished.It became a daily battle, as the class worked to stay on schedule, and the poor boy wanted nothing more than to finish his work perfectly.<\/p>\n And though he got in trouble for some defiant, ill-chosen words toward his teacher, his teacher and I quickly realized he wasn\u2019t doing it to rebel. In his mind, it didn\u2019t matter if we told him not finishing his coloring sheet was okay. In his mind, he needed to finish that coloring sheet. If he didn\u2019t, something bad might happen, despite the fact that we guaranteed him it wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n That child was an early case. I\u2019ve noticed similar behaviors, however, in children of other grades as well, particularly in second and third. Unfortunately, as a substitute, I often don\u2019t know which child will struggle with this until we\u2019ve had at least one battle over following directions and finishing an assignment perfectly. There are a few ways I\u2019ve learned to help these students, however, so we can avoid conflicts and tears and allow the child to feel successful.<\/p>\n In My Own Life<\/strong><\/p>\n The same tips I give to students are really those that are useful in my own life, because I\u2019m not cured of my perfectionism yet. The longer I\u2019m a functioning (at least, somewhat) adult, the more I\u2019m realizing that in order to be rid of the anxiety, I need to do what I tell my students to do: just let go. Here are some ways I am learning to manage the OCD demands in my life:<\/p>\n Does decision making slow you down? Do you have any tips for making the decision making process any easier? Please share your thoughts and questions in the Comment Box below. And don\u2019t forget, you can sign up for my\u00a0newsletter<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>for extra resources on neurological disorders, education, and spiritual encouragement. As always, thanks for reading!<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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