Information, support and training for PDA
PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is widely understood to be a profile on the autism spectrum, involving the avoidance of everyday demands and the use of ‘social’ strategies as part of this avoidance. PDA individuals share autistic characteristics and also have many of the ‘key features’ of a PDA profile.
This short video is a brief introduction to PDA and the approaches that help. More details can be found throughout our website.
Find out more
The wide range of information on our website can be explored through the following sections …
Our Strategy 2022-2027
We’re delighted to share our new strategy which has 6 goals that explain what we hope to achieve from 2022 to 2027.
This 5-year plan was produced using feedback from the PDA community (with surveys run in 2018 and 2021), feedback from professionals and our own experience. From our surveys we heard that PDA individuals are still struggling to:
- Access a diagnosis identifying a PDA profile, with lack of research given as a reason for this.
- Have their individual needs as PDA individuals understood.
- Access the personalised strategies needed to help.
Our 5-year plan aims to tackle these challenges and improve the quality of life for PDA individuals and those who support them.
New clothing range
Our new eco-friendly t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and tote bags include
- a PDA Society range featuring a rainbow panda motif
- a range designed by PDA adults featuring motifs titled ‘Happy place‘, ‘Can’t not won’t‘ and ‘PDA me‘. These are initial designs and early next year we’ll be inviting other PDA adults to share their ideas for the range.
Every purchase from our clothing collection will directly support the charity and help us to help others.
Q&A Live events
The PDA Society is hosting monthly online Q&A Live events via Zoom with guest speakers answering questions on specific topics based on feedback from our recent training survey. The Q&As will also be recorded and available for pre-booked ticket holders to watch for 30 days after the event.
Featured training
PDA Society courses are delivered by training facilitators with valuable first-hand experiences of living and working with PDA. Full details and tickets for our upcoming January 2022 courses are available via the following links.
PDA for parents & carers online
Live online training course for parents and carers of PDA children and young people. Run over two live online Zoom sessions. Our February course offers families in Hampshire the opportunity to meet and connect with local families at the end of week 2 (tickets are also open to people living outside of Hampshire):
About us
The PDA Society is led and run by a small team, all of whom have a direct connection with PDA and many of whom are volunteers. We provide information, support and training about PDA for individuals, families and professionals. We aim to increase acceptance and understanding of the PDA profile within the concept of ‘dimensionality’ in autism, and to improve outcomes for individuals and families by focusing everyone involved on ‘what helps’. The PDA panda is our ambassador because, just like giant pandas, PDA individuals need specific support in order to thrive.