NDTi – short introduction to PDA (2019)

Description:

NDTi has partnered with the PDA Society to help raise awareness and increase understanding of PDA – a profile on the autism spectrum.

Following the high profile programme File on 4 about Transforming Care, featuring the story of 17 year old Bethany who has PDA traits, it was felt that it would be helpful for more people, particularly Commissioners, to be aware of PDA. As part of this work, we’ve recorded an introductory webinar. You can watch it below.

This introductory webinar is about Pathological Demand Avoidance. Vikki Threlfall, who presents, is a trustee of the PDA Society. This short presentation provides a quick overview of PDA and signpost resources for further information.

Autism is a widely recognised term, but understanding the full extent of what the condition means in practice is still very much evolving. Those with comparatively rare presentations of Autism, such as Pathological Demand Avoidance or PDA, are at particular risk of being misunderstood. This can lead to extremely poor outcomes – 70% of children with a PDA profile aren’t in school or regularly struggle to attend, school and care placements often break down, and years of being misunderstood can lead to mental health problems – so it’s really important for everyone to have PDA on their radar, as early identification and intervention can make all the difference.

Watch this webinar for an overview, and see the downloads and link on the right of this page for more information.