Whilst OCD is not a learning disability as they are often extremely smart children, OCD will inhibit a child’s ability to absorb information in the classroom environment until treatment helps them to overcome their obsessions and compulsions. It is important for the teacher to keep in open communication with the parents or carers to give every person involved in the child’s life the clearest picture of how OCD impacts in different environments. Teachers should be aware that there is a range in the severity level of OCD symptoms and it might be that the parent or carer need to give the teacher precise information as to how OCD impacts on the child’s learning ability.

For example:

• A child may have mild symptoms that only interfere minimally with their performance whilst only at school and not at home.
• Some children may experience symptoms that obstruct performance in both settings.
• Others are clever at keeping their symptoms under control when at school. When they are at home, they will then let themselves loose and begin a range of rituals of compulsive behaviours.
• They may internalise the compulsions while at school, so for example a child who needs to constantly hand wash at home might need to think of patterns of numbers such as thinking "224466, 224466, 224466" as a replacement compulsion in a school setting. The teacher or classmates may never know that OCD is making the child feel wretched.

This may then set conflict between the home and the school and this is where it may take some time for the teacher to notice there is a very real problem. Unlike conditions such as ADHD or ODD the child will be absolutely self-aware that their behaviours and thought processes are not normal and can become extremely skilled at finding alternative hidden compulsive behaviours. It may even be difficult for school professionals to understand and believe that parents are accurately describing conditions at home. In these circumstances, it is very important for teachers to take the word of the parents and to provide as much support as possible. Regardless of differences in the ways OCD manifests at school, some patterns of OCD behaviours are noticeable. The teacher must realise that the obsessions that affects the child will reduce their ability to pay attention in class. The child who constantly has such thoughts as "If I do this wrong, I may get really sick and die" or “if I count to 20 now my mum won't die in a car crash” will have difficulty disengaging attention from those thoughts in order to pay attention to the ongoing lesson.

The teacher might see a previously well behaved, high achieving child only managing to write a few lines or read short paragraphs. The child’s handwriting might become precise and exact or become almost an illegible scrawl. The teacher may observe the child gazing out of the classroom window, or daydreaming at the workbook and believe them to be lacking concentration, lazy, or even disobedient, when in fact the child is trapped in the control of OCD. These can be signs of a mental health problem, not a disciplinary one. Rituals may remain unnoticed because many children are skilled at keeping them hidden. However, a teacher may notice one or more of the following warning signs:

• Making excessive requests to use the toilet (where the child may be carrying out cleaning rituals)
• Excessively checking answers on written assignments or tests
• Engaging in repetitive movements such as walking in and out of a doorway, getting up and down from a desk, walking up and down the corridor, re-sharpening a pencil
• Frequent lateness - carrying out rituals may mean the person is delayed for lessons
• Reading and rereading words, sentences, paragraphs, or pages in a book
• Crossing out and rewriting letters, words, numbers, etc.
• Arranging items on a desk, shelf or worksheet so that they appear symmetrical
• Repeatedly touching an object, such as the bench in the playground
• Avoiding contact with objects such as glue, paint, clay, chalk, or scissors
• Repeatedly asking questions to secure reassurance (e.g., about safety concerns)
• Fear or anxiety when eating or around food during lunchtime or breaks
• Separation anxiety from family members (if the obsession is that a family member is at risk)

If treated as disciplinary the consequences for the child can be tragic, they will feel worse, punished for behaviours they cannot help, their anxiety will increase and with the anxiety so too will the compulsive behaviours and obsessions. Some children even become suicidal at the prospect of school. It is not a failure in the teacher or the school not see symptoms of OCD in the child but they must listen to the parents and any involved specialists. Teachers should always seek the advice of the school SENCO to find the best methods of engaging the child in the classroom. It might be that using a “worry book” or “concerns book” will help to compartmentalise the fears to the times when they are writing in that book.

Teachers and school staff play a crucial role in the life of a child with OCD in several ways. They can become educated about the disorder and they can work together with the school nurse (counsellor, social worker) to explore options to evaluate the child's learning environment to make it pleasant enough for the child to have the education he or she deserves.

This may involve reducing the amount of homework given to the child or perhaps giving extra time to complete it. Do not draw attention to any OCD behaviours in front of the class. Do not get cross with the child for doing any compulsions or rituals.

A child with a fear of germs might become extremely anxious when learning about micro-organisms. A child with a fear of God punishing their family might be terrified during religious instructions. A teacher must take into account the child’s fears when delivering these kind of lessons and treat the subjects sensitively.

In some cases, teachers will need to make specific accommodations or modifications to meet the child's needs. For example, a child with OCD who has trouble with written work due to writing compulsions (e.g., the child constantly writes and rewrites words) may need to do written work orally or put responses on tape recorder. A child may feel more secure seated closer to the teacher, for others sitting at the back of the class with the entire room in view will lessen their anxiety. The importance of the teacher adapting to meet the individual child’s needs and cross agency consultations cannot be emphasised strongly enough.