Research Proposal

Support for
High-Achieving
Students with OCD
EDUC 570 - Research Methods with Dr. Don Trahan
By Luna Flynn
 Table of contents
Abstract &
Introduction
01 Statement of problem,
purpose of research, framing
of the study, research
questions & variables
Methodology
03 Research procedures, Role
of the researcher, ethical
considerations
Literature
Review
02 Previous research on OCD,
high-achieving students,
therapeutic approaches
Conclusion
04 A final summary of the study
and possible limitations
 01
Abstract & Intro
~Research Proposal in a nutshell
 Introduction
High-Achieving students with mental health
issues sometimes fall through the cracks of
standard support systems like Section 504

This is a case study on a high-achieving

student who struggles with OCD affecting
her well-being who is on a 504 plan that has
been ineffective
 Research Questions
● What can we do to support students who may have OCD, but are not challenged with school
avoidance or learning disabilities and are high-performing academically?
● What if these students struggle with mental and physical challenges that may not be easily
reflected in school accessible data like grades?
● How can we support a student with OCD so severe that it is creating a physical and mental toll
on their life, but cannot be registered as having specifically a learning disability?
● What types of interventions are used in such cases? How effective are they? Do they serve more
as ‘band-aid’ solutions?
● Are 504 plans the most widely used intervention for these situations?
● What studies are there on the correlation between students who are high-achieving yet have a
mental or physical impairment? Any pertaining to OCD?

There appears to be a gap in what a 504 can offer for a student like this, and I propose that we look
more into what we can do to support them. This will allow us to better understand how to approach not
only their situation, but also other students in similar situations.
 Framing of Study

Students with OCD Case Study

How do we currently help Why conducting a case study on
students manage OCD? What this student will be clarifying
works and what does not? and illuminating
 02

Literature
Review
“1 in 200
…of young people suffers from OCD”
(Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 2004)
 “There was an increase in OCD
symptoms during the pandemic, with
a proportion of patients identifying
either COVID-19 or lockdown as
contributing factors”
— (Bennett, 2022)
 Therapeutic Approaches

CBT +
Medication ERP Model 504 Plan
CBT combined with Helping people with OCD A school based intervention
SSRI’s like Sertraline confront their triggers can that can attempt to support
have shown promise prevent their compulsions students with OCD
Well-being
Is there correlations between being a
high-achieving student (HAS) and
well-being? Is it positive or negative?

● HAS tend to take challenging classes

● Have high expectations for themselves
● Experience high levels of stress

“The stress experienced by teens during the

school year is greater than what students
Image sourced from Google
feel should be healthy for their age group”
(Boyle, 2020)
 03

Methodology
Exploring the specifics of the case study, data
collection, and data analysis
 Research Procedures & Rationale

Site Selection & Ethical

Background Considerations

Researcher’s Potential
Role Contributions
 Study Framework
Single
Data Coding
Case Study
Collection

1 2 3 4 5

Sampling/ Data
Selection Analysis
 04

Conclusions
Thanks!
References
American Counselor Association (ACA). (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics | As approved by the ACA Governing Council. 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved from
https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2016). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Retrieved from
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/f041cbd0-7004-47a5-ba01-3a5d657c6743/Ethical-Standards.pdf
Barker C, Pistrang N, Elliott R. Research Methods in Clinical Psychology : an Introduction for Students and Practitioners. Third edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.; 2016.
Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative Case Study Methodology: Study Design and Implementation for Novice Researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13(4).
https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2008.1573
Bennett, S., Dr. (2022). The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people with OCD. BJPsych Open, 8, S44. doi:https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.175
Boyle, J. (2020). Mental health and the high-performing student: A study of stressors and effective supports for high-achieving high school students (Order No. 28265319).
Available from Health Research Premium Collection; ProQuest Central; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global; ProQuest One Academic; Social Science Premium
Collection. (2479034571). Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/mental-health-high-performing-student-study/docview/2479034571/se-2
Caudek, C., Sica, C., Marchetti, I., Colpizzi, I., & Stendardi, D. (2020). Cognitive inflexibility specificity for individuals with high levels of obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, 30(2), 103-113. doi:https://doi-org.libproxy2.usc.edu/10.1016/j.jbct.2020.03.010
Clarke V, Braun V. Thematic analysis. The journal of positive psychology. 2017;12(3):297-298. doi:10.1080/17439760.2016.1262613
"Combination therapy most effective for treating children and adolescents." Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 20 Nov. 2004, p. 979. Gale Academic OneFile,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A124586752/AONE?u=usocal_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=8add6838. Accessed 1 Sept. 2022.
Deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant mental illness. (2022). Psychiatric Annals, 52(7), 283-287. doi:https://doi.org/10.3928/00485713-20220621-02
Denny E, Weckesser A. How to do qualitative research?: Qualitative research methods. BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology. 2022;129(7):1166-1167.
doi:10.1111/1471-0528.17150
Dobson, K. S. (2010). Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies, Third Edition. The Guilford Press.
Ezpeleta L, Penelo E, Navarro JB, de la Osa N, Trepat E. Irritability, Defiant and Obsessive-Compulsive Problems Development from Childhood to Adolescence. Journal of
youth and adolescence. 2022;51(6):1089-1105. doi:10.1007/s10964-021-01528-7
Gentles, S. J., Charles, C., Ploeg, J., & McKibbon, K. A. (2015). Sampling in qualitative research: Insights from an overview of the methods literature. The Qualitative Report,
20(11). https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2373
GERRING J. What Is a Case Study and What Is It Good for? The American political science review. 2004;98(2):341-354. doi:10.1017/S0003055404001182
Lourdes, E., Eva, P., Blas, N. J., de la Osa Núria, & Esther, T. (2022). Irritability, defiant and obsessive-compulsive problems development from childhood to adolescence.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(6), 1089-1105. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01528-7
Maguire, M., & Delahunt, B. (2017). Doing a thematic analysis: A practical, step-by-step guide for learning and teaching scholars. All Ireland Journal of
Higher Education. Retrieved from http://ojs.aishe.org/index.php/aishe-j/article/view/335
References Continued
Mukhopadhyay, P., & Tarafder, S. (Eds.) (2018). Obsessive compulsive disorder. SAGE Publications, Inc., https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9789353280765
Negreiros, J., Belschner, L., Selles, R. R., Lin, S., & Stewart, S. E. (2018). Academic skills in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: A preliminary study. Annals of Clinical
Psychiatry, 30(3), 185-195. Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/scholarly-journals/academic-skills-pediatric-obsessive-compulsive/docview/237898
8141/se-2
Orphanidou M, Kadianaki I. A Guide for Developing and Applying a Coding Scheme in Qualitative Media Analysis : Representations of Depression in the Press. SAGE
Publications Ltd; 2020.
Pallanti, Stefano. "Strategies for treatment-resistant OCD." Psychiatric Times, vol. 31, no. 10, Oct. 2014, p. 38. Gale Academic OneFile,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A384544076/AONE?u=usocal_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=d286e735. Accessed 1 Sept. 2022.
Rice, M. L. (2017). The differences in GPA between treatment modalities (Order No. AAI10163010). Available from APA PsycInfo®. (1925843049; 2017-05718-186). Retrieved from
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/dissertations-theses/differences-gpa-between-treatment-modalities/docview/1925
843049/se-2
Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Greenberg BD, Rasmussen SA, Quirk GJ. An Avoidance-Based Rodent Model of Exposure With Response Prevention Therapy for
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Biological psychiatry (1969). 2016 ;80(7):534-540. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.02.012
Rosack, Jim. “For Youngsters With OCD, CBT Tops Medication.” Psychiatric News, 3, Dec. 2004. Psychiatry Online.
https://doi-org.libproxy2.usc.edu/10.1176/pn.39.23.00390032 Accessed 1 Sept. 2022.
Roulston. Considering quality in qualitative interviewing. Qualitative research : QR. 2010;10(2):199-228. doi:info:doi/
Schachar, R. J., Dupuis, A., Anagnostou, E., Georgiades, S., Soreni, N., Arnold, P. D., . . . Crosbie, J. (2022). Obsessive‐compulsive disorder in children and youth:
Neurocognitive function in clinic and community samples. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63(8), 881-889. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13533
School Avoidance Alliance. (2022, September 25). 504 plans: Anxiety, depression, more. School Avoidance Alliance. Retrieved from
https://schoolavoidance.org/504-plans-and-school-avoidance/#:~:text=A%20child%20with%20school%20avoidance%20who%20may%20have%20an%20anxiety,a%20disa
bility%20under%20these%20guidelines.
The school counselor and students with disabilities. The School Counselor and Students with Disabilities - American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2022). Retrieved
from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Students-with-Disabilitie
U.S. Department of Education . (2022, November 18). A history of the individuals with disabilities education act. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Retrieved from
https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History#:~:text=The%201990%20reauthorization%20(Public%20Law,autism%20as%20new%20disability%20categories.
Yin, Robert K. 1994. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage
Zirkel PA, Weathers JM. K–12 Students Eligible Solely Under Section 504: Updated National Incidence Data. Journal of disability policy studies. 2016;27(2):67-75.
doi:10.1177/1044207315626115