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The PDA-Saurus

The PDA-Saurus has decided to embark on an adventure to find her autonomy, but will she find it? Come along on her journey of self discovery, as she meets new friends and discovers who she really is. This book invites PDA children into a world where they can see themselves validated and understood. This book can help children understand their PDA but also gives parents, caregivers, and teachers tips on supporting PDA children. Author: Sophie Cook Published: June 2023   Find on Author's website

Understanding PDA: For Kids & Grown Ups

'Understanding PDA: For Kids & Grown Ups' is a book about Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), from the perspective of a little boy called Ethan. Ethan shares his personal experiences with PDA, and how it affects his ability to handle certain demands and expectations. The book offers valuable insight and helpful tips for those who want to support PDA individuals. It is hoped that readers will gain a deeper understanding of PDA, and encourage the world around PDA people to better support them. Author: Stacey Freeman, Max Freeman & Jay Freeman Published: 15 June 2023 Find on Amazon

Neurodiversity! What’s That?

Neurodiversity! What’s That? is for children aged 7 and upwards. This book is a fun introduction to neurodiversity written by a neurodivergent mum aiming to improve the self-esteem and confidence of children. The book includes many positive messages and can also help parents navigate the world of neurodiversity. Neurodiversity! What's That? mentions autism, PDA, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia and Irlen Syndrome. Understanding neurodiversity enables parents and children to learn about disability and differences positively, promoting self-esteem and acceptance.   Author: Nadine Arthur   Find on Amazon

Calendar Girl: The memoirs of a PDA child in a dysfunctional family

Calendar Girl is the first of Sally Cat’s planned series of short memoirs which, book by book, will recount her entire childhood with the aid of her rare photographic, calendar memory. This first book, covering the author’s first eight years, includes crystal clear memories of babyhood, toddlerhood and young childhood of growing up in a dysfunctional, undiagnosed neurodivergent family. The short memoir’s purpose is to communicate the lived experience of an internalising PDA child to parents seeking to understand their own kids. Available in paperback and Kindle edition. Sally Cat is kindly donating all royalties from this book to PDA Society.   Author: Sally Cat   Find on Amazon

All the Pieces of Me

From the bestselling authors of Can You See Me? comes the fourth exceptional Tally book! Year 9 can be tough for everyone, but for Tally it feels even tougher. Everything seems to be changing as she and her friends get older. Make-up, boys, social media, GCSE prep – why is it all starting to feel so different? Tally has always known that being autistic means some things are harder for her than they are for other people. But becoming a teenager has left Tally feeling like she has no idea who she even is anymore…   Authors: Co-written by 14-year-old autistic blogger Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott Publisher: Scholastic   Find on publisher's website   Other books in this series: Can You See Me? Do You Know Me? Ways to Be Me

The Panda on PDA

In this positive, gentle and PDA-friendly guide for young children, PDA is explained by a playful Panda who is PDA and very proud of it. The Panda is full of talents and strengths, but finds it very hard to do what others want. In fact, the Panda has become great at climbing trees and bamboo, and hiding in caves to escape demands! The Panda addresses the challenges and struggles of PDA honestly, but can also thrive and live a happy life in the right environment, when supported by others. Author: Glòria Durà-Vilà Illustrator: Rebecca Tatternorth Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on publisher's website

Sleep Misfits: The reality of Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome & Non-24

Sleep Misfits is the first book to extensively explore delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) and non-24-hour-sleep-wake disorder (Non-24) through the words of actual experients. Although circadian sleep disorders have seen an increase in published research and media coverage, they are still little-known and little-understood. There remains massive prejudice and discrimination against those of us whose body clocks prevent us from waking and sleeping at socially-approved hours. The main purpose of this book is to tackle these wide-scale negative assumptions by increasing empathy. Additionally, the book is intended to serve as a manual for people affected, including their families. A detailed section on childhood is included for the many parents confused and exasperated by their children’s wayward sleep hours. Text book style descriptions are supplemented with research links, and sit alongside comments volunteered by real-life DSPS and Non-24 people, and a wealth of illustrations. Available on Amazon worldwide as an illustrated paperback, and text-only ebook. The ebook is free to borrow via Kindle Unlimited. Sally Cat is kindly donating royalties from this book to the PDA Society - for more info on PDA and sleep please see the results of our sleep survey in which 10% of responses indicated circadian rhythm difficulty of some sort, [...]

Helping Your Child with PDA Live a Happier Life

Drawing on the author's personal experience of parenting a child with PDA, this insightful and informative guide offers strategies and tips for all aspects of daily life, including sensory issues, education and negotiation. Full of information and support, this book is not intended to provide information on how to change your children. Rather, it is focused on creating the type of environment that will allow children to be authentically themselves, thereby enabling them to flourish and thrive.   Author: Alice Running Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on publisher's website

The Adventures of Pickle

To most people, a pebble on the beach is just that – a pebble. For a little girl with Pathological Demand Avoidance, it’s much more and a very special bond is formed. To help with her anxiety, the little girl chooses Pickle the pebble to accompany her through all that life throws at her, becoming her soothing sensory friend. Light-hearted and sometimes emotional, this book is based on a true story. The Adventures of Pickle explores the roller-coaster ride that the whole family (including the little black dog!) goes through when faced with this little-understood part of the Autism Spectrum.   Author: Zelda Mothins Illustrator: Hattie Hyder   Find on Amazon

The Family Experience of PDA

An Illustrated Guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance. Eliza Fricker gets it. Describing her perfectly imperfect experience of raising a PDA child, with societal judgements and internal pressures, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, resentful and alone. This book's comedic illustrations explain these challenging situations and feelings in a way that words simply cannot, will bring some much-needed levity back into PDA parenting. Humorous anecdotes with a compassionate tone remind parents that they are not alone, and they're doing a great job. If children are safe, happy, and you leave the house on time, who cares about some smelly socks? A light-hearted and digestible guide to being a parent to a PDA child covering everything from tolerance levels, relationships and meltdowns to collaboration, flexibility, and self care to dip in and out as your schedule allows to help get to grips with this complex condition. This book is an essential read for any parent with a PDA child, to help better understand your child, build support systems and carve out some essential self care time guilt free.   Author: Eliza Fricker Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on Amazon

Being Julia

A Personal Account of Living with Pathological Demand Avoidance. Diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) at aged 12 and writing this memoir at age 37, Julia Daunt depicts the ins and out of PDA and its symptoms, while maintaining a positive outlook on what is possible to achieve. Co-written with professional specialist Ruth Fidler, it covers how PDA impacts Julia's life, including meltdowns, sensory issues and communication in relationships. Including examples of school reports and handwritten letters, a chapter written from Julia's partner's perspective and even an example of Julia's favourite recipe, this warm and personal look at living and thriving with PDA is informative and inspiring.   Authors: Ruth Fidler & Julia Daunt Publishers: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on publisher's website

How to Cope When Your Child Can’t

How to Cope When Your Child Can't: Comfort, Help and Hope for Parents This book combines stories from parents, whose children have experienced difficulties and distress for a variety of reasons, with information from psychological research. It signposts resources and techniques that can help parents to cope with their own feelings and struggles. Some of the strategies outlined include problem solving, emotional regulation, coping with stress, acceptance and there are also tips and activities that helped other parents cope. Please note: This book contains stories about eating disorders, self-harm, suicide, bullying, distressed behaviours and addiction. This book draws on the experiences of people parenting children with a range of different needs. Given this, some of the examples may not be suitable for parents of PDA children or adaptations may be needed.   Authors: Roz Shafran, Ursula Saunders, Alice Welham Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group   Find on Amazon

The Amazing Autistic Brain Cards

150 Cards with Strengths and Challenges for Positive Autism Discussions. This deck of cards is a resource to help professionals, parents and anyone working with autistic young people to have discussions about an Autism diagnosis in a personalised, positive and meaningful way. The beautifully designed cards each show a strength - such as being inquisitive or honest - or a challenge - such as sensory difficulties or understanding emotions. The pack also includes reusable blank cards which can be personalised. The accompanying booklet provides approaches and strategies developed by Dr Dura-Vila in her clinical practice. She also shares her personal (and occasionally humorous) experiences, including tips for discussing an autism diagnosis. These accounts within inspire readers to give their best to any young person when sharing an autism diagnosis, and in the conversations that follow.   Authors: Glòria Durà-Vilà (Author), Rebecca Tatternorth (Illustrator) Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on publisher's website  

Declarative Language Handbook

Declarative Language Handbook: Using a Thoughtful Language Style to Help Kids with Social Learning Challenges Feel Competent, Connected, and Understood. This book was written to teach you how making small shifts in your language and speaking style will produce important results. You will stop telling kids what to do and instead thoughtfully give them information to help them make important discoveries in the moment. These moments build resilience, flexibility, and positive relationships over time. You might be a therapist or a teacher, or you might be a parent, grandparent, or babysitter. Your child might have a diagnosis such as autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD or Non-Verbal Learning Disability. But they might not. No matter your child’s learning style, this book was written to help you feel equipped to make a difference, simply by being mindful of your own communication and speaking style.   Author & Publisher: Linda K. Murphy   Find on Amazon

The Teacher’s Introduction to Pathological Demand Avoidance

Essential Strategies for the Classroom. This essential guide for working with PDA pupils outlines effective and practical ways that teachers and school staff can support these pupils, by endorsing a child-led approach to learning and assessment. Beginning with an introduction to PDA and how it can affect the education experience, it is then followed by thoughtful, useful strategies school staff can implement to build a collaborative relationship with pupils and help them to thrive in the school environment. The activities presented aim to make children more comfortable and at ease, and therefore better able to learn. It covers key issues for children with PDA, such as sensory issues, preferred language and phrasing of demands, social skills, and recognising distressed behaviour. The chapter summaries and simple activities listed throughout make this a useful tool for busy teaching staff working with PDA pupils.   Author: Clare Truman Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on publisher's website

Ways to Be Me

From the bestselling author duo behind Can You See Me? comes this exceptional portrayal of autism diagnosis, with diary entries by 12-year-old autistic author Libby Scott based on her own experiences of autism with a demand avoidant profile. Taking place before Can You See Me? and Do You Know Me? this standout prequel follows Tally through her autism diagnosis in her final year of primary school. Ten-year-old Tally had high hopes for Year 6. Being in the top class at school means a whole host of privileges, but even better than that is the school production – and Tally is convinced she’ll win the lead role. But at home, things aren’t going so well. Mum and Dad have been making Tally feel pressured and upset, and Tally wishes things didn’t bother her so much – but they do, and sometimes she feels so misunderstood and frustrated, she could explode. Then Tally’s mum and dad tell her about something she’s never heard about before. Something called autism. And everything changes.   Authors: Co-written by 12-year-old autistic blogger Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott Publisher: Scholastic   Find on publisher's website   Other books in this series: Can You See Me? Do You Know Me? All the Pieces of Me  

PDA in the Therapy Room

PDA in the Therapy Room: A Clinician's Guide to Working with Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance. This guide sets out the most effective strategies for clinicians to provide the best care for children with PDA, adapting conventional modes of therapy to suit their needs. Methods include indirect techniques such as play-based therapy or trauma-informed approaches enabling the child to process their experiences on their own terms. With additional guidance for supporting the families of patients and addressing common obstacles, this book provides understanding and guidance for professionals making a difference to the lives of children with PDA.   Author: Raelene Dundon Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on publisher's website

Pretty Darn Awesome

Pretty Darn Awesome: Divergent not Deficient: Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance on the Autism Spectrum ‘Pretty Darn Awesome’ is a story about a little boy with Pathological Demand Avoidance - a not so well known profile of the autistic spectrum. It looks at his daily struggles but more importantly his amazing strengths. A useful introduction to PDA and a way to share it and explain it positively to children, siblings, family members, teachers and classmates.   Author: Lauren O'Grady   Find on Amazon

Pathological Demand Avoidance Explained

Pathological Demand Avoidance Explained. Available in paperback and as a Kindle/E-Book. What is PDA? What does it feel like? What does it involve? PDA stands for 'pathological demand avoidance'. It describes a neurotype (type of brain) which is classed as part of the autism spectrum. There's more to PDA than avoiding things. This book describes what PDA is using simple words and pictures. Author and illustrator Sally Cat is an adult PDA author, artist and blogger. She has posted hundreds of graphic memes describing PDA on her popular Facebook page. This book uses the same format to communicate the lived experience of the condition in an easy to understand way via 75 memes. The topics covered are PDA avoidance, control-need, anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, social mimicry & masking, emotions, overload, meltdown & shutdown, school and adult life. Royalties for the book are kindly donated directly to PDA Society.   Author: Sally Cat   Find on Amazon

Recognising and regulating emotions – helpful books for children

Recognising and regulating emotions is something most of our children find very difficult. Whilst our children are young, the adults around them will need to be very vigilant in spotting the signs that anxiety is escalating. As our children grow older and their emotional intelligence develops, they may be able to recognise their emotions and deploy their own coping skills more effectively. Books can be a good way to learn about emotions, and enable our children to develop understanding and skills, in a more indirect way. Here are some general book ideas that may help: All about feelings How are you feeling today? This fun, friendly and reassuring introduction to feelings is designed to help young children recognise, understand and name how they’re feeling and learn to talk about and manage their emotions in helpful ways. The Unhurry Book Now breathe…and relax. This write-in activity book is all about taking a little time to breathe, focus and be calm, with the help of some friendly sloths. Try a spot of yoga, colour in soothing squiggles or go on a sense safari – take a quiet moment, just for you. With links to Usborne Quicklinks with specially selected websites for more relaxation activities. [...]

Underdogs: Tooth and Nail

Different battles need different ways of thinking. Book 2 in the Underdogs series. Autism. Dyslexia. Anxiety. A million cloned enemies. The Underdogs have returned. A dystopian novel with a neurodiverse teenage character set, including a lead character Ewan who has a diagnosis of a PDA profile of autism. Three weeks have passed since the events of Underdogs. The British population continues its imprisonment in Nicholas Grant's giant walled Citadels, under the watchful eye of innumerable cloned soldiers. The heroes of Oakenfold Special School remain their last chance of freedom. As a result of their last mission, Grant has been forced to speed up his plans for Great Britain and beyond. Ewan, Kate, McCormick and the rest of the Underdogs must face the horrors of his new research, knowing that it raises the stakes as high as they will go. Failing this battle will not merely result in losing soldiers and friends, but in losing the war entirely. According to the odds, the Underdogs are near-certain to fail. But they have spent their whole lives being underestimated and did not survive this long by respecting the odds.   Author: Chris Bonnello Publisher: Unbound Digital   Find on Amazon Find eBook on publisher's website

Understand Me

Understand Me: An inspiring journey of a boy with PDA 9 year old Spencer recalls his struggles at mainstream school and takes us on a journey of his experiences whilst going through diagnosis and the EHCP process to a successful specialist placement. Spencer’s feelings of isolation and sadness, and his longing to be understood and accepted, are recounted in his own powerful words. This book will be an inspiration for children, parents and teaching professionals who are living and working with a PDA profile of autism. Spencer's Mum (Katie Stott) has also written and published a book - Life on an Alien Planet: A PDA boy and his journey through the education system. Author: Spencer Stott Publisher: Independently published   Find on Amazon

Do You Know Me?

The sequel to last year’s bestselling Can You See Me? Co-written by autistic twelve-year-old Libby Scott, with diary entries based on her own experiences of autism with a demand avoidant profile. Great for reading with friends and family and engaging a wide audience, this book sees autistic protagonist Tally return in another compelling and authentic story of fitting in and being different. Told from Tally’s own point of view, the story follows her as she goes on a school trip and falls in with the popular crowd. Tally has learned to be proud of her autism – but now she realises that others in her circle still feel forced to hide their true selves. Will she be brave enough to stand up to her new friends, the bullies? Told with great realism from Tally’s unique standpoint and exploring the familiar tensions of school life, this engaging and relatable book is guaranteed to get older readers thinking. It helps children empathise with friends who may have similar neurodiversity, and allows autistic readers to see their world reflected back at them. The other author is Rebecca Westcott, who has won acclaim for her books Dandelion Clocks and Violet Ink.   Authors: Co-written by twelve-year-old autistic [...]

The Spectrum Girl’s Survival Guide

How to Grow Up Awesome and Autistic "Never be ashamed of being different: it is this difference that makes you extraordinary and unique." This essential go-to guide gives you all the information and tools you'll need to help you flourish and achieve what you want in life. From the answers to everyday questions such as 'Am I using appropriate body language?' and 'Did I say the wrong thing?', through to discussing the importance of understanding your emotions, looking after your physical and mental health and coping with anxiety and sensory overloads, award-winning neurodiversity campaigner Siena Castellon uses her own experiences to provide you with the skills to overcome any challenge. With practical tips on friendships, dating, body image, consent and appearance, as well as how to survive school and bullying, The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide gives you the power to embrace who you are, reminding you that even during the toughest of teen moments, you are never alone. Author: Siena Castellon Foreword by: Temple Grandin Illustrated by: Rebecca Burgess Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Find on publisher's website

Super Shamlal – Living and Learning with Pathological Demand Avoidance

This illustrated storybook is aimed at children aged 7-11 to help them recognise the features of PDA, and develop tools to support them. A helpful introduction for parents and carers explains how it feels to live with PDA, and the appendices at the back provide useful strategies to be adopted at school and at home. Author: K. I. Al-Ghani  Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on publisher's website

Life on an Alien Planet: A PDA boy and his journey through the education system

Katie Stott provides a detailed account of the PDA specific behaviours in her son Fraser and how she learnt to lessen the impact of these by focusing on the cause (anxiety and a need for control), rather than the effect. Katie explains how Fraser’s sensory issues also contributed to his every day challenges at school as he became increasingly isolated from his classmates and faced risk of expulsion when the school became unable to cope. The book goes on to explore Katie’s fight to gain recognition of PDA in school and despite significant obstacles, the way she eventually managed to secure an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and a specialist school so that Fraser could learn, make friends and thrive once again. Also see Understand Me: An inspiring journey of a boy with PDA by Spencer Stott.   Author: Katie Stott Publisher: Independently published   Find on SEN Books

Collaborative Approaches to Learning for Pupils with PDA

Strategies for Education Professionals This book distils expert reccommendations on implementing collaborative approaches to learning for supporting pupils with Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA) at school. Explaining why this approach is so beneficial, it presents key information and resources to help education professionals best support pupils with PDA, and also school staff. Authors: Ruth Fidler and Phil Christie Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on publisher's website

Me and My PDA

Me and My PDA: A Guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance for Young People This beautifully illustrated guide helps young people with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) to understand their diagnosis, develop self-awareness and implement their own personalised problem-solving strategies. Written in consultation with young people with PDA and their families, this book recognises the importance of handing control back to the young person, and that there is no one-size-fits-all PDA profile. Readers are encouraged to engage throughout with interactive writing, doodling and checklist exercises to explore their own particular characteristics, strengths and challenges. Me and My PDA is sensitively tailored to the needs and experiences of young people (aged 10+) with PDA. The guide is designed to grow with the reader, and can be used for many years as the young person develops and changes - making it invaluable to PDA-diagnosed individuals and their families. Authors: Glòria Durà-Vilà and Tamar Levi Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers   Find on publisher's website

Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome in Children

A Guide for Parents, Teachers and Other Professionals The first book ever written about PDA - it gives a comprehensive overview for everyone with an interest in the subject. It was written collaboratively by professionals and parents. This straightforward guide offers a complete overview of Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA) and gives practical suggestions for overcoming the difficulties it poses in a wide range of contexts from diagnosis through to adulthood. Starting with an exploration into the background of PDA that answers many of the immediate questions triggered when a child is first diagnosed, the book goes on to look at the impact of the condition on different areas of the child's life and what can be done to help. The authors present useful information on early intervention options and workable strategies for managing PDA positively on a day-to-day basis. They also examine ways to minimize common difficulties that may be encountered at home and school, making life easier for the child, family and peers. The final chapters tackle new problems that can arise when the teenage years hit and how to assist a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. Illustrative case examples are included throughout, and the book concludes with [...]