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'What helps?' guides

The PDA Society created these ‘What helps?’ guides to provide helpful and practical information to make life easier for PDAers and those around them. If you’re new to PDA, we recommend starting with the ‘PDA approaches’ section. Here, you’ll find essential adjustments in thinking and acting that can make most situations easier.

The rest of our information is divided into sections based on age and the type of challenges you may be facing.

PDA approaches

The PDA Society created these ‘What helps?’ guides to provide helpful and practical information to make life easier for PDAers and those around them.

Childhood

Provides guidance on things that are particularly relevant when parenting a PDA child, navigating the education system, supporting sibling relationships, and explaining PDA to family members.

Adulthood

Includes information for PDA adults, and for people supporting them. This includes relationships, work, money, travel, leisure, and parenting as a PDAer. 

Professional roles

Explains the roles of different professionals you might encounter and how they can help.

 

 

Below, you’ll find an overview of each section with links to the full list of guides, we update and add to these guides all the time so if there is something you think we should cover please let us know here.

PDA approaches

This section provides an overview of core PDA approaches that can help people navigate everyday challenges. It talks about how to build trusting relationships, why a low arousal approach can help, and the difference being flexible makes.

Childhood

Guides dedicated to supporting PDAers through childhood. It includes education, friendships, parenting strategies, sibling relationships, explaining PDA to family, and exercise for children.
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Adulthood

This section offers information for PDA adults and those supporting them, covering topics like relationships, work, finances, travel, leisure, and parenting as a PDAer. If you’re navigating adult life with PDA or assisting someone who is, you’ll find relevant resources here.
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Professional roles

Information on different professionals you may come across and how they can help.
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Understanding professionals' roles

For a deeper dive into effective practices, our Research and professional practice section showcases how professionals 
can implement these strategies.

We are building up our information on what professionals do with the help of people who do the jobs, so if the job you do isn’t listed here you are welcome to complete this survey to help explain what someone with your job title might do.

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