Education
Found 37 listings
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 [...]
National Autistic Society PDA resources
Here are links to the National Autistic Society's PDA resources:
What is pathological demand avoidance (PDA)?
Supporting pupils with a demand avoidant profile
The National Autistic Society provides useful information to help everyone understand anxiety in school and school refusal – though please note that the strategies suggested would [...]
PDA tools and resources – tes online
The following PDA-related resources are available to purchase or download for free from www.tes.com ...
Managing Demand Avoidance Toolkit
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The Demand Avoidance Toolkit, is an adapted framework of collaborative approaches used in education to teach pupils with PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance). This pack works alongside the Zones of Regulation [...]
Articles
The most recent PDA articles published in professional publications and on national support websites.
Providing PDA support - Aileen Hosty - nasen Connect www.nasen.org.uk (shared with kind permission) May 2020
Understanding PDA – Ruth Fidler & Libby Hill - The Link (speech and language magazine for schools) January 2020
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PDA Reference Booklet for Health, Education and Social Care Practitioners
This booklet was initially produced and printed in 2014 as part of our 'Awareness Matters' campaign and revised in 2016.
The booklet will be useful to Health, Education and Social Care Practitioners.
This is a free electronic resource. Distribution is positively encouraged. In addition, the PDA Society can supply hard copies [...]
Practice Guidance for Professionals – Ireland
The 'Mapping Experiences of PDA in Ireland Study', Doyle and Kenny, was published in 2020.
A report describes the research and findings in detail.
In addition, the study resulted in the development of a series of seven practical and appealing advice sheets for professionals and parents. They have been published by PRISM [...]
Pathological Demand Avoidance: summary sheet
A one-page explanation of the PDA profile, produced by the PDA Development Group and published in June 2016. It describes the main features and the key approaches to supporting a PDA person.
The PDA Development Group comprises a group of clinical and professional experts, and includes representation from the NAS [...]
AET National Autism Standards
This extensive paper entitled 'The Distinctive Clinical and Educational Needs of Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome: Guidelines for Good Practice' was written by Phil Christie and originally published in the Good Autism Practice Journal. It is reprinted by the Autism Education Trust (AET) to accompany their National Autism [...]
Education Provision and Support – Guidance
Children and Young People with PDA: Guidelines for Educational Provision and Support
This guidance was prepared by the PDA Development Group and published in December 2019. It provides and introduction to the topic, describing key principles and how to put the principles into practice.
The PDA Development Group comprises a group [...]
Challenging school exclusions
Children and young people with PDA or other forms of autism, or indeed other special educational needs, can struggle with behaviour which challenges. Our Being Misunderstood survey showed that almost 1 in 10 had experienced permanent exclusion at some stage.
This has been possible because schools have said that the [...]
School refusal guide
This extensive guide was written by a doctoral student and her co-founder of 'Not Fine in School'. There is a summary guide and a guide for schools also available from their website alongside many other sources of information and support.
It describes in detail what parents can do to support [...]
Mind Map for schools
This 'Mind Map' is a useful resource for teachers, and anyone involved in providing support to a young person.
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Good educational practice
Examples of good educational practice for PDA pupils
These extracts showing good practice in education for pupils with a PDA Profile are shared with kind permission from the authors of these two books:
Fidler, R. and Christie, P. (2019) Collaborative Approaches to Learning for Pupils with PDA: Strategies for Education [...]
Life on an Alien Planet: A PDA boy and his journey through the education system
With useful advice and observations, 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 [...]
PDA in Ireland
Mapping Experiences of Pathological Demand Avoidance in Ireland, Executive Summary
Doyle and Kenny 2020
This initial summary reports the findings of the study funded by the Irish Research Council, and conducted by researchers from Dublin City University, Institute of Education, Neil Kenny and Siobhan McNally, and Alison Doyle of Caerus Education.
The [...]
Reasonable adjustments for schools – editable
Whether at primary school or secondary school, this resource can be re-written to suit your own child. Written by a parent who wanted to share it, it is a detailed example of the types of accommodations a school might make.
It is important to read through and decide which parts [...]
Being Misunderstood – 2018 Survey
Experiences of the PDA Profile of ASD
Education, health and social care services are designed to be 'needs-based' and 'outcomes-focused'.
While the intention is clear, there is a group of autistic people whose needs are frequently not identified in detail, not understood in practice and not fully communicated between professionals. As [...]
Education Support and Strategies
In this PDA Society webinar Phil Christie and Ruth Fidler from Autism Associates provide an overview of the education and support needs of children with the PDA profile.
They outline how some of the strategies that are typically found to be effective for autistic children and young people (such as [...]
Child Profiles
Child profiles or ‘one-page profiles’ have been developed as a useful tool particularly for SENCos to use in schools in order to share information about the needs and capabilities of a range of pupils with additional needs across the staff. This can help staff to ensure their practice is [...]
What PDA means to me – editable resource
This resource was created to help a child going from being home-schooled into a special school, but could be used in many other situations. It lists traits like high anxiety, impulsivity and demand avoidance that made life difficult, with specific examples and thoughts on what helps. It also has [...]
Education support & advice
This page signposts some sources of useful information, support and advice regarding education.
The PDA Society takes considerable care to check the services that we signpost, however we’re not responsible for the quality, experience or outcomes from third party organisations. We’re currently developing an accreditation process for services and organisations [...]
Blogs by Professionals
Help for Autism and PDA by Dr Judy Eaton -Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Starlight and Stories is a blog written by a special needs teacher. The autism section focuses on supporting children with autism in education and also features several articles specific to the PDA profile.
SmallTalk Speech & Language Therapy - [...]
Collaborative Approaches to Learning for Pupils with PDA
Strategies for Education Professionals
This book distils expert advice 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, advice and resources to help education professionals best support pupils with PDA, and [...]
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 [...]
Can I tell you about Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome?
Can I tell you about Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome?: A guide for friends, family and professionals
Meet Issy – an 11-year-old girl with pathological demand avoidance syndrome (PDA), a condition on the autism spectrum. Issy invites readers to learn about PDA from her perspective, helping them to understand how simple, [...]
Anger Management
A Practical Guide for Teachers
All schools and many parents have to cope with children and young people who have difficulties managing their anger. This practical guide will:
Increase your understanding of anger
Offer you a range of practical management interventions
Reduce the stress experienced by staff and parents who [...]
Self-Regulating in School
Simple Stuff to Get Kids Self-Regulating in School
Awesome and In Control Lesson Plans, Worksheets, and Strategies for Learning
Packed with photocopiable lesson plans and tried and tested strategies, this illustrated guide is the ideal companion for teachers and therapists wishing to help kindergarten and elementary school children to self-regulate. It [...]
The Explosive Child
A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
A groundbreaking approach to understanding and parenting children who frequently exhibit severe fits of temper and other intractable behaviours, from a distinguished clinician and pioneer in this field.
What’s an explosive child? A child who responds to routine problems [...]
Supporting a move in education
This article offers some practical suggestions on how you might support pupils who have a PDA profile through a school transition phase, and how you can start to build up their educational confidence during the early stages of their placement. PDA children can challenge school environments and policies, as [...]
Simple Strategies for Supporting Children at School
'Simple Strategies for Supporting Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance at School'
At school these children often struggle to reach their full potential because of their need to be in control. The invisible barrier of anxiety and avoidance is often forgotten and the child appears to be choosing to not engage [...]