PDA for Healthcare - guidance, evidence & practice

This mini lecture series on PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) has been designed to support anyone working with neurodivergent individuals to build their confidence, knowledge and practice in identifying and supporting PDA people.

This recording includes all of the mini lectures from our live session in December 2023. Each webinar can also be purchased individually at the bottom of this page.
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Identifying & assessing a PDA profile... towards a better understanding

Phil Christie, Consultant Child Psychologist, explores the history of the discovery of PDA, putting it into the context of how autism is viewed today. He draws upon published practice guidance to describe the key features of a PDA profile, details around assessment, and implications for supporting children.

Personal experiences of PDA

Hannah explores her experiences of demand avoidance and Asher shares her journey on how a lack of PDA understanding led to mental health issues and an eating disorder, but how positive support aided her recovery.

Conceptualisation of PDA

Professor Tony Attwood & Dr Michelle Garnett give a unique insight into the nature of the PDA profile, underlying factors and how PDA differs from other neurotypes including other autistic profiles. They explore polyvagal theory and its contribution to understanding helpful approaches for PDA.

Post identification support

Dr Anita Marsden discusses providing support for PDA people, primarily young people. This involves consideration of the environment and where the person is on their journey, indirect and direct support. She describes what this looks like in practice and the potential outcomes.

Q&A recordings

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