Help the Demand Avoidant (PDA) Child in Your Class

Visual timetables, clear warnings and plenty of structure help a lot of autistic children. For a child with PDA (pathological demand avoidance) they can pile on the pressure, because every expectation feels like a demand, and you get refusal, shutdown or a child who bolts from the room.

This course gives you another way in. You'll learn to phrase requests so they invite a child in ("I wonder if…"), and to give them a discreet way to say they've had enough, like a card placed on the desk. You'll also plan a safe space and a key adult they can go to without any fuss.

It's taught by a parent whose own daughter has autism and PDA, so the ideas come from what worked at home and in school. One teacher got her on stage for the school play by whispering her favourite RuPaul line.