Autism Learns: Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

Welcome to Autism Learns. Brought to you by the organisers of The Autism & ADHD Show, we provide trusted and affordable online learning to parents, family carers and professionals who support autistic children and young adults.

In this new online learning series, our team of leading autism specialists will explore the often misunderstood, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) – a profile on the autism spectrum characterised by an extreme avoidance of everyday demands and expectations. Those with a PDA profile can appear to have better social skills than other autistic people, and often use this ability to create distractions and excuses to mask their difficulties. They may also present as excessively controlling and dominating when feeling anxious.

Speakers will unpack why traditional strategies based on structure and routine are often ineffective, and provide alternative, practical approaches, which can make a real difference at home or in the classroom. The focus being on reducing pressure, building trust, and creating environments where PDA children and adults feel safe to engage. You’ll hear from neurodivergent practitioners, educators and clinicians, combining professional insight with lived experience.

Learnings include:

• Recognising and understanding the key characteristics of a PDA profile
• Why traditional behaviour strategies can escalate distress
• How to reduce conflict and school refusal
• Practical strategies for crisis prevention
• Techniques that work for highly avoidant learners
• Why sleep is often difficult for people with a PDA profile
• Why PDA sits at the edge of diagnostic categories
• What PDA stress really looks like from the inside

Book the series now for just £54.99 for parents and family carers, and £84.99 for professionals. Content is CPD certified for professionals. Price includes 30 day streaming access to webinar recordings and available presentation slides.

To find out more visit www.autismlearns.co.uk.