Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA) is a developmental disorder that is being increasingly recognised as part of the autism spectrum. The main characteristic is a continued resistance to the ordinary demands of life through strategies of social manipulation, which originates from an anxiety-driven need to be in control. This straightforward guide is written collaboratively by professionals and parents to give a complete overview of PDA. Starting with an exploration into the syndrome, it goes on to answer the immediate questions triggered when a child is first diagnosed, and uses case examples throughout to illustrate the impact of the condition on different areas of the child's life. Early intervention options and workable strategies for managing PDA positively will make day-to-day life easier for the child, their family and peers. New problems faced in the teenage years and how to assist a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood are also tackled. The book concludes with a valuable resources list. Full of helpful guidance and support, this user-friendly introductory handbook is essential reading for families, carers and anyone who knows a child with PDA.

An updated edition of the Sunday Times bestseller.Your Child Is Not Broken is THE book for parents who need permission to do things differently.An unapologetic, deeply moving manual for parents of neurodivergent children from Heidi Mavir, a late-identified, neurodivergent adult and parent to an autistic/ADHD teenager.This updated edition includes information on Pathological Demand Avoidance, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, an interview with Heidi's son Theo and more.Follow Heidi's irreverent and brutally honest story of her fight to be seen, heard and supported, while swimming against a tide of parent blame, ableist stereotypes and the weight of other people’s opinions.Your Child Is Not Broken is a call to arms for parents and carers of autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent children. It is the book that no one has dared to write but every parent needs to read. Heidi’s hilarious anecdotes and heartbreaking storytelling offer validation, comfort, reassurance and wisdom to parents who need it the most.

A hilarious and reassuring gift for every mom: because we’re all doing the best we can, and the natural world is filled with moms worse than you!A mom giraffe is pretty nice until the fetus drops.She’ll birth a newborn baby calf, then kick him ’til he walks.  Whenever you feel guilty that you haven’t cleaned the house:Sexton beetles raise their kids in a decomposing mouse.   A koala mom will feed her kids her own poop. Yes, poop. Panda moms will abandon one twin because raising two is, well, just too much. And every now and then a cuddly little hamster mom will —yup— eat her newborn pups. These and other true facts from the animal kingdom offer a hilarious reality check on what constitutes “good parenting.” So, human mother, time to stop worrying about the job you're doing —because you’re a great mom.

This essential guide for working with PDA pupils outlines effective and practical ways that teachers and school staff can support these pupils, by endorsing a child-led approach to learning and assessment. Beginning with an introduction to PDA and how it can affect the education experience, it is then followed by thoughtful, useful strategies school staff can implement to build a collaborative relationship with pupils and help them to thrive in the school environment. The activities presented aim to make children more comfortable and at ease, and therefore better able to learn. It covers key issues for children with PDA, such as sensory issues, preferred language and phrasing of demands, social skills, and recognising distressed behaviour. The chapter summaries and simple activities listed throughout make this a useful tool for busy teaching staff working with PDA pupils.

In this positive, gentle and PDA-friendly guide for young children, PDA is explained by a playful Panda who has PDA and is very proud of it. The Panda is full of talents and strengths, but finds it very hard to do what others want. In fact, the Panda has become great at climbing trees and bamboo, and hiding in caves to escape demands! The Panda addresses the challenges and struggles of PDA honestly, but can also thrive and live a happy life in the right environment, when supported by others.

"As neurodivergent individuals, we're likely to experience different types of distress from living in a society that isn't designed for our differences. It isn't just emotional distress, but also sensory distress that we can experience, and one way we can learn to manage our distress is through Dialectial Behavioral Therapy skills. However, DBT skills aren't always accessible, straight-forward or neurodivergent friendly. That's why this workbook of DBT skills has been reframed to be to be neurodivergent affirming while incorporating sensory strategies, managing meltdowns and more. Written and designed by an autistic ADHDer, you can learn skills and tools using the five sections: everyday well-being, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, sensory needs."--

Now in a revised and updated 6th edition, the groundbreaking, research-based approach to understanding and parenting children who frequently exhibit severe fits of temper and other challenging behaviors, from a distinguished clinician and pioneer in the field.What's an explosive child? A child who responds to routine problems with extreme frustration--crying, screaming, swearing, kicking, hitting, biting, spitting, destroying property, and worse. A child whose frequent, severe outbursts leave his or her parents feeling frustrated, scared, worried, and desperate for help. Most of these parents have tried everything-reasoning, explaining, punishing, sticker charts, therapy, medication--but to no avail. They can't figure out why their child acts the way he or she does; they wonder why the strategies that work for other kids don't work for theirs; and they don't know what to do instead.Dr. Ross Greene, a distinguished clinician and pioneer in the treatment of kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges, has worked with thousands of explosive children, and he has good news: these kids aren't attention-seeking, manipulative, or unmotivated, and their parents aren't passive, permissive pushovers. Rather, explosive kids are lacking some crucial skills in the domains of flexibility/adaptability, frustration tolerance, and problem solving, and they require a different approach to parenting. Throughout this compassionate, insightful, and practical book, Dr. Greene provides a new conceptual framework for understanding their difficulties, based on research in the neurosciences. He explains why traditional parenting and treatment often don't work with these children, and he describes what to do instead. Instead of relying on rewarding and punishing, Dr. Greene's Collaborative Problem Solving model promotes working with explosive children to solve the problems that precipitate explosive episodes, and teaching these kids the skills they lack.

Eliza Fricker gets it. Describing her perfectly imperfect experience of raising a PDA child, with societal judgements and internal pressures, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, resentful and alone. This book's comedic illustrations explain these challenging situations and feelings in a way that words simply cannot, will bring some much-needed levity back into PDA parenting. Humorous anecdotes with a compassionate tone remind parents that they are not alone, and they're doing a great job. If children are safe, happy, and you leave the house on time, who cares about some smelly socks? A light-hearted and digestible guide to being a PDA parent covering everything from tolerance levels, relationships and meltdowns to collaboration, flexibility, and self care to dip in and out as your schedule allows to help get to grips with this complex condition. This book is an essential read for any parent with a PDA child, to help better understand your child, build support systems and carve out some essential self care time guilt free.

I realised EVERYTHING I was doing was wrong. I needed to learn. I needed to change. During Laura Kerbey's time teaching autistic children, she had a sudden realisation that those with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) are children like no other! None of her tried and tested autism strategies would work to help them focus or learn and most of her time was spent wondering, what am I doing wrong? If you feel the same, this short, easy-to-read guide is here to teach you everything you need to know from one educator to another. With an introduction to what PDA is followed by PDA tailored advice on how to connect with your student and create an autonomous, spontaneous environment that is personalised for you both, this guide is here to ensure that you and your PDA student thrive! Illustrated by the popular Eliza Fricker and packed with entertaining anecdotes (including one about Jabba the Hut's poo), this go-to-guide contains everything you need to start implementing PDA friendly learning to help you connect with your student and help them make the most of their learning experience.

Shamlal the Camel finds it almost impossible to do all the normal, everyday things that the other camels do. Her first word was 'NO ' and this is still the word she repeats the most through every day.Luckily, Shamlal's parents take her to a psychologist who explains that she has PDA, and gives her tips for how to live and learn with the syndrome.This simple, illustrated storybook will help children aged 7-11 with PDA to recognise its features, and develop tools to support them. A helpful introduction for parents and carers explains how it feels to live with the panic attacks and general anxiety that are caused by living with PDA, and the appendices at the back provide useful strategies to be adopted at school and at home.

‘Pretty Darn Awesome’ is a story about a little boy with Pathological Demand Avoidance - a not so well known profile of the autistic spectrum. It looks at his daily struggles but more importantly his amazing strengths. A useful introduction to PDA and a way to share it and explain it positively to children, siblings, family members, teachers and classmates.

"To think of PDA as merely involving demand avoidance is to me akin to thinking of tigers as merely having stripes."This book is a unique window into adult Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), exploring the diversity of distinct PDA traits through the voices of over 70 people living with and affected by the condition.Sally Cat, an adult with PDA, has successfully captured the essence of a popular online support group in book form, making the valuable insights available to a wider audience, and creating a much-needed resource for individuals and professionals. Candid discussions cover issues ranging from overload and meltdowns, to work, relationships and parenting. This is a fascinating and sometimes very moving read.

Jane Alison Sherwin's honest and uplifting account provides insight into the challenges of bringing up a child with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). After years of misdiagnosis, Jane's daughter, Mollie, was diagnosed with PDA at the age of seven, and we follow her experiences pre and post diagnosis to age 10 as she attends school, interacts with the outside world and approaches adolescence. Throughout, Jane provides commentary on her daughter's behaviour and the impact it has on her family, explaining the 'why' of PDA traits, including the need for control, meltdowns, obsessive behaviour and sensory issues. She reveals the strategies that have worked for Mollie and provides essential advice and information on obtaining a diagnosis and raising awareness of PDA. The book also includes an interview with Mollie. Full of advice and support, and with a focus on understanding the child and how he or she sees the world, this book will be of immeasurable value to the parents and families of children with PDA as well as the professionals working with them, particularly teachers and teaching assistants, SEN co-ordinators, psychologists, outreach workers and social workers.

Winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2015A New York Times bestseller'NeuroTribes is a sweeping and penetrating history, presented with a rare sympathy and sensitivity... it will change how you think of autism.' - From the foreword by Oliver SacksWhat is autism: a devastating developmental disorder, a lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more - and the future of our society depends on our understanding it.Following on from his ground breaking article 'The Geek Syndrome', Wired reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for identifying it, and discovers why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years.Going back to the earliest autism research and chronicling the brave and lonely journey of autistic people and their families through the decades, Silberman provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle, while mapping out a path towards a more humane world in which people with learning differences have access to the resources they need to live happier and more meaningful lives.He reveals the untold story of Hans Asperger, whose 'little professors' were targeted by the darkest social-engineering experiment in human history; exposes the covert campaign by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner to suppress knowledge of the autism spectrum for fifty years; and casts light on the growing movement of 'neurodiversity' activists seeking respect, accommodations in the workplace and education, and the right to self-determination for those with cognitive differences.

"Low-demand parenting requires radical acceptance. It says to the kid right in front of you, I see you, just as you are. - You are ok here. I love you right here." Parent to neurodivergent children and autistic adult, Amanda Diekman, outlines a parenting approach that finally lowers the bar for the whole family, enabling the equilibrium of the home to be restored. Low-demand parenting allows you to drop the demands and expectations that are making family life impossible and embrace the joyful freedom of living life with low demands. It can be a particularly effective approach for children with high anxiety levels including neurodivergent children. Amanda talks from experience and teaches you how to identify what the big, tiny and invisible demands are for your own child and gives you the step-by-step instructions on how to drop them. Full of practical resources and scripts that are easy to implement in busy everyday life, this book is your flashlight and your map to parenting your uniquely wired child. It will not tell you where to go, but it will help you find your way so you and your family thrive.

A PDA diagnosis can be challenging for the whole family. In this story, Piper starts noticing that the way her parents are doing things with her sister are different. She asks her mother about it, who explains what PDA is, how they found out, and what that means for the family. In addition to the story, additional information and helpful tips for parenting with PDA are provided.

Drawing on the author's personal experience of parenting a child with PDA, this insightful and informative guide offers strategies and tips for all aspects of daily life, including sensory issues, education and negotiation. Full of advice and support, this book is not intended to provide information on how to change your children. Rather, it is focused on creating the type of environment that will allow children to be authentically themselves, thereby enabling them to flourish and thrive.

A follow on in the journey through Autism and Aspergers - this, the third book in Rachel's series - enters a new diagnostic space as she learns about and begins to understand Pathological Demand Avoidance - a new flavour of ASD still disputed, debated and under researched.With a foreword from Harry Thompson (The PDA Paradox) and recommendations and backing from the PDA Society, this is a wonderful resource aimed at building open dialogues between parent/carer and child about the nature of their condition - but it is also a wonderful way to open discusion in classrooms and with peer groups who may be struggling to understand PDA in others.

Drawing on the author's extensive clinical and research experience, this book presents practical strategies purposefully developed for parents, therapists and teachers working with autistic adolescents experiencing anxiety. In addition, it features chapters dedicated to assisting parents in supporting their anxious child. The book outlines the co-occurence of anxiety and autism, highlights specific anxiety risks and triggers, and presents practical solutions for overcoming barriers to therapeutic engagement. A collection of CBT, ACT and DBT-informed practical worksheets are included, making this book ideal for use at home, at school or in OT, Psychology and Speech sessions.

Do you know a child that gets upset when their routine changes? They might also struggle to see the big picture, to make friends, to problem solve in real time, and to read nonverbal communication. Meltdowns, tantrums and other challenging behaviors might be common.This book was written to teach you how making small shifts in your language and speaking style will produce important results. You will stop telling kids what to do and instead thoughtfully give them information to help them make important discoveries in the moment. These moments build resilience, flexibility, and positive relationships over time.You might be a therapist or a teacher, or you might be a parent, grandparent, or babysitter. Your child might have a diagnosis such as autism, Asperger's Syndrome, PDA, ADHD or Non-Verbal Learning Disability. But they might not. No matter your child's learning style, this book was written to help you feel equipped to make a difference, simply by being mindful of your own communication and speaking style."When I heard that Linda Murphy was writing "Declarative Language Handbook", a hallmark of RDI, I knew that our Autism and Communication worlds were about to be influenced by the cutting edge thinking of a truly remarkable expert in the field. What I wasn't prepared for were the crisp, practical, useful guidelines that will make this the most important book on the shelf of clinicians and parents."Rachelle K. Sheely PhD President & Co-Founder of RDIConnect"The shift to increased student agency and teachers as coaches is dependent on a new kind of language in the classroom. Declarative language elevates teaching to that new level."Melissa Andrichak MAT, First Grade Teacher"As a seasoned clinician, I found that when I changed my language from imperative to declarative, I started to notice new competencies of children. I am continually amazed at how simple (but difficult!) changes in my language can be so powerful and bring about incredible changes in a short time. We are so fortunate to have Linda explain the principles of Declarative Language in a book."Martha Bargmann MS, CCC-SLP Speech Language Pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children"Finally! An easy to read book that meets parents and educators 'in the trenches' with information and strategies that help our kids learn critical thinking, social problem solving and executive functioning skills. This book is proof of how making small shifts in our language can have far reaching results."Beckham Linton M.A., CCC-SLP, Social Learning Consultant /Coach "What if people mostly used language with you to tell you what to do or to tell you that you should have done it better? I think you'd agree, that would get discouraging rather fast! For individuals with social learning challenges, this is too often their experience. Through this handbook, Linda guides us to notice how a shift in our use of language (from imperative to declarative) can fundamentally shift how children relate to us and the world around them. Through many practical examples and tips for developing our own use of declarative language, Linda provides us the tools to build positive, pro-active relationships with the individuals we parent, teach or counsel."Michelle Garcia Winner, Founder of the Social Thinking MethodologySpeech Language Pathologist, MA-CCC

"Fierce, unapologetic and joyous . . . This book is a marvel." - Jordon Steele-John, Disability Rights Advocate and Australian Senator Growing up, Chloé Hayden felt like she'd crash-landed on an alien planet where nothing made sense. Eye contact? Small talk? And why are you people so touch-oriented? She moved between 10 schools in 8 years, struggling to become a person she believed society would accept, and was eventually diagnosed with autism and ADHD. When a life-changing group of allies showed her that different did not mean less, she learned to celebrate her true voice and find her happily ever after. This is a moving, at times funny story of how it feels to be neurodivergent as well as a practical guide, with advice for living with meltdowns and shutdowns, tips for finding supportive communities and much more. Whether you're neurodivergent or supporting those who are, Different, Not Less will inspire you to create a more inclusive world where everyone feels like they belong.

'If you are a parent worrying whether self-directed education will work for your child, because you have been told that they have special needs which can only be met in the school system - think again' Neurodivergent children experience and interact with the world differently to many of their peers. Standard educational systems often fail to adapt to their unique strengths and ways of learning. School, and even the act of learning, can become a source of great anxiety and trauma. Self-directed education offers an alternative to traditional schools that can help neurodivergent children develop at their own pace and thrive. Blending theory, practical advice and lived experience, clinical psychologist Naomi Fisher introduces the world of self-directed learning and tailoring the learning environment to your child. This comprehensive overview of self-directed learning is packed with ideas on how to implement it at home and includes interviews from parents of neurodivergent children on how you can make learning differently work for you and your child

"From a leading child psychologist comes this groundbreaking new understanding of children's behavior, offering insight and strategies to support both parents and children. Over her decades as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Mona Delahooke has routinely counseled distraught parents who struggle to manage their children's challenging, sometimes oppositional behaviors. These families are understandably focused on correcting or improving a child's lack of compliance, emotional outbursts, tantrums, and other "out of control" behavior. But, as she has shared with these families, a perspective shift is needed. Behavior, no matter how challenging, is not the problem but a symptom; a clue about what is happening in a child's unique physiologic makeup. In Brain-Body Parenting, Dr. Delahooke offers a radical new approach to parenting based on her clinical experience as well as the most recent research in neuroscience and child psychology. Instead of a "top-down" approach to behavior that focuses on the thinking brain, she calls for a "bottom-up" approach that considers the essential role of the entire nervous system, which produces children's feelings and behaviors. When we begin to understand the biology beneath the behavior, suggests Dr. Delahooke, we give our children the resources they need to grow and thrive--and we give ourselves the gift of a happier, more connected relationship with them. Brain-Body Parenting empowers parents with tools to help their children develop self-regulation skills while also encouraging parental self-care, which is crucial for parents to have the capacity to provide the essential "co-regulation" children need. When parents shift from trying to secure compliance to supporting connection and balance in the body and mind, they unlock a deeper understanding of their child, encouraging calmer behavior, more harmonious family dynamics, and increased resilience"--Publisher's description.

Eliza Fricker gets it. Her compelling, hard-hitting and irreverently humorous illustrations follow a family through the early days of school avoidance, the process of accessing support and the challenges of coping in the meantime. Can't Not Won't illuminates the absurdity and frustrations that often arise when dealing with health, social and educational systems, and will help any parent in the same boat feel seen. This guide acts as a way to communicate these difficult circumstances with others. Wonderfully relatable, the book also includes written guidance for parents and professionals on what works best when it comes to managing school avoidance.

Being a teenager is tricky at the best of times. Your body is changing and hormones are raging around your body - adding PDA to the mix makes this even harder! You may often feel misunderstood by others, and find it hard to understand yourself too. Whether you've just been diagnosed with PDA -or are a seasoned PDAer keen to know a bit more - this warm and wittily illustrated guide will give you a better understanding of your amazing brain and why you are so good at some things, but find other things tricky. It will help you to advocate for yourself better, understand your anxieties, manage rejection sensitivity dysphoria, explain to your family and friends and others what you need (and what drives you up the wall) - and navigate school or alternative education.

All About PDA follows in the best-selling footsteps of Kathy Hoopmanns All Cats are on the Autism Spectrum and All Dogs have ADHD. Through engaging text and full-colour photographs, this book shows how PDAers see and experience the world and highlights the unique characteristics that make them special. A perfect introduction to PDA for those recently diagnosed, as well as their families, friends, and the people who work with them!