Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) with Ruth Fidler

Sunshine Support is an award-winning, independent SEND & ALN consultancy supporting families and professionals across England and Wales.Since 2017, we have helped over 80,000 parents, carers and professionals navigate the complexities of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Our work spans EHCP applications, tribunals, advocacy, school support and specialist training, all delivered with a clear focus on achieving meaningful, lasting outcomes for children and young people.We are known for combining deep legal knowledge with real-world experience, offering practical, compassionate guidance that cuts through confusion and empowers those we support. From one-to-one consultancy to large-scale training and national awareness campaigns, our mission is simple: to ensure children receive the support they are legally entitled to and genuinely need.At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to clarity, integrity and impact.When you attend a Sunshine Support event, you are not just gaining information. You are gaining the confidence, understanding and tools to take action.

SEN Support Ltd

PDA is becoming a far better understood presentation, but what is it? And how do we support children and young people with PDA?

Neurodivergence

Explore autism, ADHD and more through real, relatable insight. These sessions help you understand children better and support them in ways that build confidence, safety and connection. Find more on demand here: www.sunshine-support.org/academy

Perfect for Teachers

Designed for busy teachers and school staff, these sessions offer practical SEND strategies, legal insight and confidence-building support to help you meet needs effectively in real classroom settings. Find more: www.sendtraininginstitute.co.uk

Once you have purchased your ticket, please register with ZOOM via the link we will send you at the bottom of your confirmation email.

<h2>What is Pathological Demand Avoidance? How can I help my child who has a PDA profile?</h2><p>Pathological Demand Avoidance can be seen in children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but when the avoidance reaches a pathological level, major difficulties arise. Both parents and teaching staff will have challenges on an entirely new level that can be difficult to manage.</p><p>This session will allow you to:</p><ul><li>gain a clearer understanding of the PDA profile and how it presents in individuals</li></ul><ul><li>explore the support needs of families of children and young people with a PDA profile</li></ul><ul><li>gain an overview of strategies and approaches that can support children with PDA profiles</li></ul><p></p><p>As always there will be time for questions throughout the presentation. </p><p>Slides, references and CPD certificates will be available to attendees along with a recording to watch the webinar again for up to 30 days afterwards. </p>

<h2>A﻿bout Ruth Filder</h2><h3></h3><h3>Ruth Fidler is an Education Consultant specialising in complex presentations of autism, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and emotional well being. </h3><h3>She worked at an all age non-maintained special school for 22 years until 2014 and has worked independently since then.  </h3><h3>During her time on the senior leadership team the school sustained Ofsted outstanding status. Ruth worked within the school promoting interactive approaches and emotional well being for pupils across the autism spectrum. As a member of the leadership team she had a strategic role and contributed to continuing professional development for all staff. She also led an outreach pilot project working with other agencies to meet the needs of children and young people currently unable to attend school.  </h3><h3>As well as providing training, she regularly observes and monitors teaching and learning, supporting staff to embed and refine good autism and SEND practice. </h3><h3>She regularly presents at local or national events and conferences for parents and for a range of professionals. She provides training and consultancy for a variety of schools and services across the UK. </h3><h3>She has contributed to publications in the Good Autism Practice (GAP) journal on the subject of promoting emotional wellbeing and is co-author of the following books;  
‘Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome in children’ (2012), ‘Can I Tell You About Pathological Demand Avoidance?’ (2015) Collaborative Approaches to Learning (2019) Girls and Autism (2019) and Being Julia (2021) </h3>

<h1>How do our webinars work?</h1><p>1.	Once you have purchased a ticket, you will be emailed a link to register for the event on ZOOM. It’s really important you register as soon as possible, as we manually check everyone in for safeguarding and security reasons.</p><p>2.	Once registered you will be sent a link to join us on the night, almost as if the 'room to the door' is opened for you and you're checked in.</p><p>3.	Click on the link to the ZOOM room 15 mins before the live webinar is to start, and make sure you are logged into ZOOM beforehand.</p><p>If you encounter any issues please visit <strong>www.sunshine-support.org/troubleshooting</strong></p><p>The video of the webinar will be available to watch for 30 days after the webinar takes place, so if you need to leave the webinar at any time or can't make it at that specific time you can watch again at your leisure. The link to the recording will be sent to you within 24 hours of the webinar taking place.</p><p></p>

<h1>D﻿ISCLAIMER</h1><p>The views expressed in the webinar are of the presenter and not Sunshine Support as an organisation. The information detailed on this page is accurate at the time of publishing. We reserve the right to change the speaker at any time. There maybe events outside of our control that contribute to this and our intention will always be to ensure the webinar goes ahead and meets the brief as closely as possible.</p>

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Ticket sales have ended

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) with Ruth Fidler

More events from SEN Support Ltd

Discover more events from SEN Support Ltd, from Family & Education to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.

Ticket sales have ended

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) with Ruth Fidler

More events from SEN Support Ltd

Discover more events from SEN Support Ltd, from Family & Education to other experiences you might love.

You might also like...

Browse more events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.