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OCD and the Preschool Child

Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Question: I am a teacher of preschoolers with disabilities. Many of our children are autistic and seem to be very OCD-like. Things must be done in order or they are brought to meltdown very quickly. We accommodate when we can but sometimes we simply cannot. I would love to read anything on the subject of OCD and the preschool child, especially developmentally appropriate practices. Thanks so much!!

Campbell Hall, NY

Answer: First, we want to tell you how much we applaud your desire to learn more about the preschool-aged child with OCD. It is very evident what a conscientious teacher you are. And you are working with children at an age when early intervention can make all the difference in the world.

Second, there is scant literature on the topic about which you inquire. The large majority of studies, books, manuals, etc., are directed to “children and adolescents” with OCD. Very little research has been conducted on children younger than seven years of age. Only very recently has some information appeared on the young child with OCD. Needless to say, this is an area that demands much greater attention in the future.

The little information we have found on this topic relates to research that has been completed very recently (i.e., in 2008). Unfortunately, the three resources we found are all professional articles with a technical bent. Yet they do contain some very important information on OCD in young children that we think you will find very beneficial. There are actually excellent summaries of two of the three articles right on the OCD Chicago web site. So in addition to providing you links to the full articles (when possible), we also will give you the direct link to the OCD Chicago web site (when available). Following are those links:

Article 1:
Early Childhood OCD: Findings from a Family-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Approach, 2008, Freeman & Garcia and others click here

Link to OCD Chicago web site that contains a summary of this article.

Article 2:
Clinical Considerations When Tailoring Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Young Children with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, 2008, Choate-Summers, Freeman, Garcia, & others click here

Note 1: You will have to register online for a “library card” to your local library. But this takes just a few steps, and you can then secure the article online.

Note 2: There is no link to the OCD Chicago web site for this article.

Article 3:
Phenomenology of Early Childhood Onset OCD, 2008, Garcia, Freeman, Himle, & others

We were unable to find a direct link for obtaining the full text of this article. It was just published online in September of 2008 in the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment; perhaps if you look online in the future, you will find the full text of this article. But the OCD Chicago web site has an excellent summary of this article, which you may find here.

Another suggestion is that you go to this link, where you will find basic information about the article, including the first author’s e-mail address. In many cases, the lead author is happy to send you a copy of the article he or she wrote.