PDA for Educators (Online)

A trainer led, CPD accredited, course aimed at expanding the knowledge of education professionals who work with and support learners with a PDA profile of autism (whether formally diagnosed, self-identified or exploring the profile). Conventional autism approaches are often ineffective and counter-productive for PDA people so the course will explore creating alternative and flexible frameworks that include building a partnership based on trust, flexibility and collaboration.

This course is targeted towards mainstream, SEN or autism specific schools as well as being suitable for Tutors working with PDA students. It would benefit those working with young people aged between 5-16yrs.

This course is being offered with a recording of the live sessions available for 7 days after the second session. To purchase this please select the ticket option which includes the recording, you will then be registered via your ticket details for our training hub and will recieve an email how to view the recording after the second session of the course, usually within 3 working days. This will provide access for 7 days from release.

Please note the question and answer section will not be recorded to protect delegate confidentiality.

Number of CPD certified hours: 4 hours

Location, date & time: This is an online programme (via Zoom), to be delivered over 2 sessions on Wednesday 17th & 24th September from 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

Course content:

• What is PDA
• Explores demands and their effects
• Looks at how PDA can feel
• Considers helpful approaches (including collaborative problem solving)
• Educational good practice and where to go for help
• Reasonable adjustments
• PDA children as learners
• Ideas for the classroom and demonstrating progress
• Q&A

Course objectives:

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Identify the different terminology which could be present in an Education Health Care Plan
• Explain what Pathological Demand avoidance is and how it fits within the autism spectrum
• Appreciate what constitutes a demand from a PDA autistic person’s view point
• Understand the importance of trust and how this can be built
• Be aware of what demand avoidance may look like
• Understand what is meant by ‘masking’ and why this can cause confusion between different settings
• Appreciate the effects that PDA can have on the person and how this can make the person feel
• Identify how to adapt their own practice to better accommodate the needs of a PDA person and what reasonable adjustments may be required
• Understand the importance of phraseology and language when supporting PDA learners
• Understand why sensory processing difficulties can contribute to distressed behaviours
• Be aware of the strategies which best support a learner with distressed behaviours
• Appreciate the differences that may be seen in PDA Autistic learners vs other neurotypes
• Understand the ideal school principles which best accommodate PDA Autistic learners
• Find resources and know where to go for further information on the topics covered

Ticket price:

£105 per delegate payable in advance (plus Eventbrite fees) - to attend the live sessions

£110 per delegate payable in advance (plus Eventbrite fees) - to attend the live sessions plus access to a recording of these sessions for 7 days

The course fee for both includes a certified CPD certificate that will be forwarded after the session following confirmation of attendance/viewing of the recording.

Tickets purchased are for individual use only, please do not share your log in links. We are a small charity who receive no funding to deliver this training therefore all income raised goes directly into funding our work to improve outcomes for PDA people.

If you wish to transfer your place to another person please email training.support@pdasociety.org.uk.

If the cost of this course would prevent you from accessing our training due to financial circumstances, please contact the training team for assistance.

When booking please ensure that you can attend both sessions as refunds or transfers to another date will not be possible after the course has started. Refunds and transfers are available up to 7 days prior to the start of the first session.

We recommend that you join 5-10 minutes prior to the start to ensure your technology is working correctly as we will be unable to delay the start due to the number of delegates we anticipate attending. All delegates will need access to the chat function.

After booking, please remember to check your e-mail (messages may be forwarded to your spam/junk folder) for a confirmation receipt from Eventbrite sharing a link for registration. Eventbrite will also send reminders prior to the course taking place.

Please note:

• If you require more than 10+ tickets please do contact us as an in-house programme may suit you better.

• The PDA Society are also able to deliver this CPD course to individual schools either in one block or over 2 sessions.

• If you have any additional needs that may require assistance during the session, please do let us know at the time of booking, in order that we can discuss arrangements in advance. Thank you.

• All content and slide decks shared as supporting materials are copyright PDA Society and are for personal use of the course attendees only. They may not be replicated or shared outside of the training session or be used to provide training delivered outside of the PDA Society

• FAO iOS users: In Oct 2023 Apple issued new App Store Guidelines that limits registrations for paid online events on the Eventbrite Attendee app. This means that while attendees can view paid online events on Eventbrite’s iOS app, attendees may need to purchase their ticket from a web browser on desktop or mobile. Please use the Event URL below to purchase your ticket if you are unable to do so via the Eventbrite App. This is out of our control however we do apologise for any inconvenience caused by the changes to Apple’s guidelines. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1280618778239

• The PDA Society reserves the right to substitute published speakers should unforeseen circumstances arise. Any education, legislation or healthcare practices discussed are related to England and delegates joining from other locations will need to consider their own local education, legal and healthcare requirements.

• Safeguarding children and adults at risk is a priority for the PDA Society and is a fundamental practice within our charity. Information shared with us will be treated confidentially unless there is a cause for concern in relation to safeguarding. If you share information that leads us to believe that a child or adult at risk is suffering significant harm or is likely to do so, then we will need to report our concerns to the relevant authorities. If you have any questions in respect of this please direct them to training.support@pdasociety.org.uk

If you would like further information about this course or other courses that we offer please contact our training team via email: training.support@pdasociety.org.uk