Discussed in this Podcast:

✅ Ask whether the repetition is coming from joy or fear. If it brings the child delight and regulation, encourage it. If the child looks distressed and would rather be doing anything else, treat it as a possible compulsion and respond accordingly.

✅ When a student asks the same anxiety-driven question repeatedly, resist repeating the same answer. Offer compassion and co-regulation instead. “I can see your brain is telling you something scary. Can I sit with you until it feels easier?”

✅ Explain to students in accessible language that their nervous system is firing a false alarm. Remind them that not doing the compulsion is the way to prove to their nervous system that they are safe.

✅ Help students recognise that checking something once is normal, but checking it a second or third time is a compulsion. Use concrete examples like checking lost property once versus checking it repeatedly every day.

✅ Rather than asking a student to stop a ritual entirely, suggest waiting five minutes before doing it. This small gap between the thought and the response begins to weaken the OCD cycle without causing extreme distress.

✅ Take photos or videos of a student’s wins: arriving at class, completing a task, getting through a difficult moment. Build a visual diary of successes that can be revisited, especially for students who find written records hard to access.

✅ Support students to remain connected to daily routines during OCD flare-ups. Withdrawing completely can signal to the nervous system that something is dangerously wrong, which feeds the OCD cycle. Even partial attendance helps.

✅ OCD often involves thoughts on taboo subjects, making children reluctant to speak up. Create a consistent, non-judgemental relationship so that over time students feel safe enough to indicate when their OCD is active.

✅ Be alert to small shifts in posture, facial expression, or energy level. These subtle signals may indicate an OCD episode that the child cannot or will not name verbally.

✅ Sit alongside the student, acknowledge their experience (“I can see you’re really distressed right now”), and stay calm and present. This models safety without feeding the compulsion cycle through repeated reassurance.