Why understanding PDA as an educator is important.

For many PDA learners, education settings can feel overwhelming, unpredictable or unsafe. Everyday parts of education – following routines, completing tasks, interacting with peers, or even just showing up – can feel like demands that trigger extreme anxiety.

PDAers often face significant barriers in accessing education. While each person is different, some common challenges include:

Attendance and avoidance

Many PDA learners experience anticipatory anxiety that makes it difficult or impossible to attend. They may avoid a placement entirely, arrive late, walk out of learning activities or become dysregulated once there. These aren’t signs of disengagement or defiance – they are signs that the student is overwhelmed.

Navigating rules and routines

Timetables, unstructured breaks, large groups, needing to sit still, or learning in one fixed way can all feel too demanding. Even things that are intended by educators as positives – like assemblies, awards or changes to routine – can cause stress and lead to avoidance or distress. Consistency in approach is vital, but so is flexibility.

Communication difficulties

PDAers may appear sociable or compliant on the surface but often struggle to communicate underlying distress. Direct questioning or formal formats can increase anxiety. They might lean into fantasy, role play, or control in social settings, and while many want friendships, the need for autonomy can sometimes make these hard to sustain.

Sensory and environmental stressors

The physical environment can create constant pressure. Busy display boards, strong smells, fluorescent lighting, or crowded corridors and outdoor spaces may all trigger sensory overload. Sudden timetable or staff changes can heighten anxiety due to an intolerance of uncertainty. These layers of stress add up quickly.

Work, assessment and autonomy

For PDAers, tasks like homework, assignments, tests and even being asked a question in class can all feel like overwhelming demands – especially when there’s little choice or flexibility. They may avoid activities possibly suggesting it’s boring or that they already know it; or destroy their own work, particularly if it’s been praised. This isn’t about laziness, being rude or lack of ability – it’s about a deep need to retain control and reduce anxiety.

What happens when needs aren’t met?

Without the right understanding and support, these challenges can escalate. The impact can be far-reaching – not just on education, but on mental health and future wellbeing. If a PDA learner’s needs aren’t recognised or addressed, this may lead to:

Worsening mental health, ongoing anxiety around school can lead to burnout, depression, low self-esteem or emotional crisis – especially if the student is continually pushed beyond their window of tolerance.
Where there are barriers to learning or emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), a student may stop attending altogether, withdraw from learning or become overwhelmed. distressed behaviours may escalate, sometimes leading to exclusion.
Loss of social connection, absence, anxiety and mistrust can make it harder to form and maintain friendships. Everyday classroom/tutorial interactions can feel too risky or exposing.
Strains on resources, managing crises often places significant pressure on SENCOs, support teams and leadership. This can increase staff burnout and result in a reactive rather than initiative-taking approach.
Reduced academic achievement, without meaningful adjustments, students may miss out on key learning and qualifications – limiting future opportunities in work and life.

Understanding PDA doesn’t mean lowering your expectations. It means rethinking how we help students meet them – with compassion, flexibility and trust. When we do this well, and become learning facilitators, PDAers don’t just survive school – they start to thrive.

PDA and the law around meeting need

Everyone has the right to an education that meets their individual needs, and the law is clear that this support must be based on those needs, not whether or not a formal diagnosis has been given.

Under the Equality Act 2010, people who meet the legal definition of a disability are protected from discrimination. This protection applies regardless of whether they hold a formal diagnosis.

A person is considered disabled if: “They have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”

If a person’s condition meets these criteria above, they are considered disabled -regardless of whether they have a medical label. This means that people without a diagnosis still qualify for reasonable adjustments.

Within England, the Children and Families Act 2014 introduced legal duties for identifying and meeting special educational needs, including through education, health and care plans (EHCPs). The SEND Code of Practice explains that children do not need a diagnosis to receive support: “Needs should be identified and addressed as early as possible, and the support provided to an individual should always be based on a full understanding of their particular strengths and needs.” This means that if a child is struggling in education, schools and settings have a duty to respond to the impact those challenges are having – not just the label attached to them.

Similar legislation and guidelines are in place across Wales (individual education plans, IEP) Northern Ireland (statements of special educational needs) and Scotland (co-ordinated support plan, CSP) and should be referred to as needed.

The law obliges everyone including education providers to evaluate and reduce barriers to access. It encourages earlier, more effective intervention-without the need to wait for a diagnosis. It also means whether your setting, local authority or NHS service recognises PDA or not, the needs presented to you by a PDAer warrant you considering how to make reasonable adjustments.

PDA, co-occurring conditions & diagnostic overshadowing

PDA rarely exists in isolation. Many PDAers will have more than one diagnosis. This could be something like ADHD -or anxiety disorders, speech & language disorders including selective/situational mutism, obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They might also be experiencing chronic stress, social isolation or trauma.

In some cases, there is a risk of diagnostic overshadowing. This describes when everything someone is experiencing is attributed to one cause, when in fact there are more. For example, a PDAer might also be experiencing:

Undiagnosed depression or anxiety. A person’s reluctance to engage may be partly driven by underlying low mood, panic attacks, or intrusive thoughts.
Trauma responses. Previous adverse life events could still be having an impact. PTSD symptoms might intensify the urge to evade demands.
Socioeconomic pressures. Things like unemployment, housing insecurity, or social isolation can create additional barriers. This can make it difficult to access treatment or support.

Remembering that PDA characteristics exist alongside other challenges helps professionals tailor their approach. Recognising overlapping challenges increases the likelihood of your support being effective.