PDA best practice

This page shares information about best practice for professionals from all sectors who work with PDA individuals and their families – including healthcare, education, social care, the law, therapists, counsellors, advocates and policy makers. By sharing information about best practice, we hope to empower other professionals to recognise and support PDA effectively.

The following podcast and video were created for PDA Day 2021 to help empower you with knowledge about PDA and information about helpful approaches:

• the professional voice: professionals from a range of backgrounds explain why they feel it’s important to identify PDA and share their tips for best practice. Available to listen to as a podcast here and in the player below. A transcript of this podcast is also available here

Podcast

• the PDA community’s voice: PDA individuals, families and carers let us know about professionals who have made a positive difference and highlight what they’d like other professionals to know about PDA and what helps. A transcript of this video is also available here

Further examples of best practice include …

Healthcare

• Identifying & Assessing a PDA profile – Practice Guidance
• Evidence for use of PDA terminology
• Recently published research from Eaton and Weaver on markers in clinical assessments
• Dr. Ann Ozsivadjian discusses PDA in this ACAMH podcast and how to recognise it in a child with an autism diagnosis
• Dr Gloria Dura-Vila – Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist – talks about the importance of identifying & describing PDA in this article
• An assessment pathway for children – Solihull
• Good diagnostic assessment – children – PDA Development Group
• Help for Psychology News and Blog
• Keira’s story – case study with examples of person-centred and PDA-friendly practice for eating disorder treatment

Social care

• Cathie Long – Independent Social Worker – talks about PDA and why social workers need to know about it in an article for Community Care
• Case studies
  • Ben’s story
  • Beth’s story
• In this NDTi webinar,  Jeremy (Beth’s Dad) and NDTi Associate Ann Memmott share their experience on the importance and value of involving autistic people in the Care and Treatment Review process
• Keys to care – one page information sheet
• PDA for social care professionals (webinar) (includes case studies and a short Q&A)
• Identifying & Assessing a PDA profile – Practice Guidance

Education

• Good educational practice
• Collaborative Approaches to Learning for Pupils with PDA (book)
• Simple strategies for supporting children at school
• Education case studies
• Education, Health and Care Plans to support a PDA profile of autism
• Home education “hub”
• Providing PDA Support – Aileen Hosty, nasen Connect
• Personalised learning for pupils with PDA – Spectrum Space case study
• Understanding PDA – Jilly Davis, Teachwire
• Identifying & Assessing a PDA profile – Practice Guidance
• “We have to acknowledge their learning differences, we have to change the way we teach” (Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)) – SEND in the experts podcast for Twinkl SEND
• PDA PANDA Approaches for teaching professionals – Twinkl in partnership with the PDA Society. Helpful classroom support approaches and top tips & insight from PDA learners

Legal professionals

• Judicial College Equal Treatment Bench Book includes information about PDA, the difficulties PDA individuals may have with the legal process and reasonable adjustments that may be helpful.

Therapists

• Libby Hill – Speech and Language Therapist – Assessing speech & language needs in children with PDA
• Webinars
  • PDA and Speech & Language Therapy
  • PDA and Sensory Processing
• Raelene Dundon – Psychologist
  • PDA in the Therapy Room (book)
  • PDA and Therapy – Tips for engaging children with the PDA profile of Autism in therapy
• Identifying & Assessing a PDA profile – Practice Guidance

Policy makers

• Local position statements on PDA
• DHSC statement on PDA

General

• Identifying & Assessing a PDA profile – Practice Guidance
• Research
• Sources of further understanding
• Lots more information is also in our resources section.