we are please to announce the first  Pathological Demand Avoidance conference in Cardiff  

New Dates 23/24th April 2021 (Rescheduled from 24 & 25th April 2020)

We are bringing together Experts in PDA for two conferences split across two days (as the dates have had to be rescheduled the guest speakers may change and further info will be made available closer to the event date).

The first day  hosts talks aimed at professionals  to enhance their knowledge on PDA,

the second day is aimed at supporting parents, families, carers of children, young people & adults with PDA.

The conferences will be a great benefit to those professionals who would like to learn more about supporting 

 anyone from young children to grown adults with Pathological Demand Avoidance.

We also include parents, carers and families who have a child with a diagnosis or suspected PDA. 

Ticket prices:

Friday 02/10/2020

(Professional day) £85 per ticket (early bird price £65 until 9/3/2020) plus booking fee

Includes:

Refreshment served from 8.30 

Lunch - a hot and cold finger buffet lunch. 

Please indicate any dietary requirement when booking

The conference will start at 9.30 and finish at around 16.30

Saturday 03/10/2020

(Family Day) £50 per ticket (early bird price £44 until 9/3/2020) plus booking fee

Includes:

Refreshment served from 9.30 

Lunch - a hot and cold finger buffet lunch. 

Please indicate any dietary requirement when booking

The conference will start at 10.00 and finish at around 16.30

Schedule: 

Day 1 Professional orientated

Michael Charles - Sinclair Law

Session: Michael will discuss the new ALN Welsh law and how it will impact services and families in Wales.

Michael Charles is the Senior Director of Sinclair Law and has worked in a number of high profile children and education law cases including the infamous “internet twins case”. He is a member of The Education Law Association, and frequently lectures around the United Kingdom in relation to special educational needs and the Law. Mike Charles has frequently appeared on BBC Breakfast, Radio 5 live, and BBC Radio Wales commenting on a number of high profile headline stories involving Education and Disability Law. 

Nicola S Morgan - NSM Training & Consultancy

Session: Effective Ways of Engaging Parents to Improve Behaviour

Research shows that engaging families in school has a significant and very positive impact on students’ behaviour. This session will provide practical information and strategies which have been extensively trailed in a variety of different settings.

Nicola S Morgan is an international educational consultant, author and teacher. With over two decades of experience in education, she has a reputation for successfully managing the most challenging students and motivating staff to help implement change. Currently, Nicola works closely with schools and parents and speaks at conferences on behaviour change, engaging families, mindset and resilience. She is the author of over ten educational books and countless articles. 

Sally Russell OBE - PDA Society

Session :An explanation of the Demand Avoidance trait and of the PDA profile. The nature of assessments, the latest research, the psychology of support/ change in mindset, the breadth of the complexity: interception and eating disorders, top tips and resources for spreading awareness.

Sally is Chair of the PDA Society and also was co-founder of Netmums and a Director for 14 years. During that time she found new ways to support parents and ensure their voices were heard by Government. As the Founding Chair of the Institute of Health Visiting she saw the importance of positive, professional leadership in an essential profession. She continues to work to bridge the gap between parents and professionals in her role as Chair of the PDA Society, having got involved as a volunteer after her younger child was identified with the condition aged 15. 

Corrina Wood - Platypus Training

Session : This session aims to provide an understanding of parental stress in PDA and the impact parenting a child with PDA has on the whole family. We will also consider ways to build resilience in families, recognise the importance of understanding the significance of anxiety and sensory issues, strategies for working with families and the safeguarding risks and vulnerabilities that may need to be considered.  The session will use a mix of lived experience and research to highlight the importance of context when working with families where there are children (and possibly parents) with neurodiversity.

Corrina Wood is an Independent Disability Consultant and Trainer. She has worked extensively with families for over 15 years where there are children (and adults) with Autism Spectrum Conditions, including PDA. Her work includes managing a Family Support Service, Assessing Parenting in Autistic Parents, Parenting Courses, including being a licensed facilitator for the Cygnet Programme. Corrina has a Masters in Autism where she focused on parental stress. She has recently completed her training in ADOS2 Assessments.

As a parent, Corrina has four children with Autism, including one with PDA.

Cathie Long - Independent Social Worker

Session: What constitutes a good social care assessment, particularly when a child/young person has a hidden disability, and what parents, carers and professionals need to know when Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) is alleged.

Cathie Long is a highly regarded, award-winning independent social worker who specialises in working with children and adults who are on the autism spectrum, some of whom have a PDA profile. She is an expert witness for SEND tribunals, judicial reviews and court of protection proceedings and also conducts assessments for mental capacity and the family courts". 

Libby Hill -Speech and Language professional  

Session: Libby will discuss the speech, language and communication needs of children and young people with PDA and how they can be best helped with this aspect.

Libby qualified as a speech and language therapist from the prestigious University College, London in 1986. She remains as passionate about what she does now as she was then, which most definitely comes across in her work. Her practical, pragmatic approach works well with all children. She is a member of the Royal College of Speech and language therapists and ASLTIP and is registered with the Health Professions 

Libby set up Small Talk Speech and language therapy in 2007 which has grown to include speech and language therapists, SLT assistants, early years practitioners and counsellors with access to Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology. She set up Smart Talkers Pre-School communication groups in 2009 which are franchised in the UK and abroad. In 2011 she created S & L World, the global bulletin for Speech and language professionals which she continues to edit. Her latest projects include a website to provide speech therapy materials and being consultant speech and language therapist to Channel 4s ‘Born naughty?’

Day 2 Family orientated 

Michael Charles - Sinclair Law

Session: Michael will discuss the new ALN Welsh law and how it will impact services and families in Wales.

Michael Charles is the Senior Director of Sinclair Law and has worked in a number of high profile children and education law cases including the infamous “internet twins case”. He is a member of The Education Law Association, and frequently lectures around the United Kingdom in relation to special educational needs and the Law. Mike Charles has frequently appeared on BBC Breakfast, Radio 5 live, and BBC Radio Wales commenting on a number of high profile headline stories involving Education and Disability Law. 

Corrina Wood - Platypus Training

Session: An Unconventional Life: Learning how to live in peace with PDA.

Corrina Wood is an Independent Disability Consultant and Trainer. She has worked extensively with families for over 15 years where there are children (and adults) with Autism Spectrum Conditions, including PDA. Her work includes managing a Family Support Service, Assessing Parenting in Autistic Parents, Parenting Courses, including being a licensed facilitator for the Cygnet Programme. Corrina has a Masters in Autism where she focused on parental stress. She has recently completed her training in ADOS2 Assessments.

Corrina has four children with Autism, including one with PDA.Corrina will share her own experiences of living with a daughter with a PDA profile and how she overcame some of the challenges she faced. It will consider a model of anxiety, the implications of the sensory environment and how sometimes we, as parents or those working with PDA, have to behave counter-intuitively. This session also examines the importance of understanding 'context' and how the need to be 'unconventional' can be misinterpreted by professionals.

Sally Cat

Session: PDA by an adult PDAer: From anxiety to avoidance and masking to meltdowns.

Sally will describe the experience of being a PDAer from the inside out. There are many texts describing PDA from observer persepctives. What does Demand Avoidance of the Pathological kind actually feel like? By listening to Sally's talk, you will gain insight in what it is like to live with PDA.

Sally Cat is an adult PDAer, bloger and peer researcher. She produces popular memes depicting the lived PDA experience of PDA, and is author of ‘PDA by PDAers’, the first book about adult PDA, which was published by JKP in 2018. 

Evelyn Ashford

Session: Helping Families Through the MAZE of Special Educational Needs and clearing up the untrue myths about getting support for your child.

Evelyn is the founder of Educational Equality and the Mother of a 23 year old young man with Autism. 

My son was a happy little boy who spent his first week at school rocking under a table with his hands over his ears. I was initially told that it was my poor parenting and a lack of discipline that caused my son to have 'behavioural issues' in school. I became more strict - and he stopped communicating with me so I realised that I would have to accept that there was something that he was struggling with. I researched and learned about a condition called 'Autism'. The school said that I was wrong, and continued to blame me. My G.P. said it was possible, but that she didn't know anything about the condition. I began to study... Neuroscience, psychology and finally LAW. 

I expected help to come, but the first Local Authority E.P. openly doubted that my child had the potential to become independent. They fought against helping us and during the next 20 years we went through 7 SEND Tribunal appeals and after helping an increasing number of other parents along the way I set up Educational Equality. We specifically set out to provide support and information to empower parents to manage their own cases as much as possible and with the Facebook groups, to provide them with a means to support each other.  

My son is now living in his own house, has a supported internship doing research and archiving at a Motor Museum and is taking driving lessons. We are hopeful that he will be living independently; without the EHCP system very soon! 

Libby Hill -  Speech and Language professional  

Session: Libby will be discussing the speech, language and communication needs of children and young people with PDA and how they can be best helped.

Libby qualified as a speech and language therapist from the prestigious University College, London in 1986. She remains as passionate about what she does now as she was then, which most definitely comes across in her work. Her practical, pragmatic approach works well with all children. She is a member of the Royal College of Speech and language therapists and ASLTIP and is registered with the Health Professions 

Libby set up Small Talk Speech and language therapy in 2007 which has grown to include speech and language therapists, SLT assistants, early years practitioners and counsellors with access to Clinical Psychology and Educational Psychology. She set up Smart Talkers Pre-School communication groups in 2009 which are franchised in the UK and abroad. In 2011 she created S & L World, the global bulletin for Speech and language professionals which she continues to edit. Her latest projects include a website to provide speech therapy materials and being consultant speech and language therapist to Channel 4s ‘Born naughty?’

Q&A

Q. Can I transfer my ticket?

A. Yes you can transfer your ticket. They will have to present the original ticket upon admittance and be able to give us your name upon sign in

Q. Can I cancel and get a full refund?

A. We offer a full refund up to 30 days before the event. This refund does not cover the Eventbrite booking fee

Q. Is the event accessable for those with disabilities?

A. Yes the venue is fully accessable 

Q. What are the transport links like?

A. The venue is a short walk from Cardiff Central Train Station. Limited pay parking is available at the event venue or at the adjacent Cardiff Blues Rugby Ground (Cardiff Arms Park) or at one of the many City centre cark parks. There are no free car park spaces

Q What are the directions to the venue?

A. Please see the venues website for more details: https://www.guestreservations.com/holiday-inn-cardiff-city-centre/aboutthehotel?msclkid=2632b965388d1d538346e75da2f302c2