Working with and supporting PDA adult learners: CPD accredited course
All our courses are delivered by training facilitators with valuable lived experience of PDA as PDAers themselves, parents, carers, partners, family members or professionals working with PDAers.
This course is designed to expand the knowledge and confidence of education professionals who work with and support PDA adult learners aged 16 and over across further education, training, or other adult learning environments.
This course aims to:
- Deepen understanding of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA):
Explore this lesser-known profile within the autism spectrum, which requires distinct support strategies - Develop practical, flexible support strategies:
Create a tailored framework of approaches to effectively engage and support PDA adult learners in a variety of educational settings.
Course length
- 2 hours
- Custom durations available on request
Course content
- What is PDA?
- Explores demands and their effects
- Looks at how PDA can feel
- Considers helpful approaches
- PDA considerations
- Inclusive support
- Q&A
Course options available
- Flexible delivery options: Available as a single session.
- Delivery format: Offered online or in person, subject to trainer availability and location.
- Custom durations: Alternative session lengths available on request, with adapted content and CPD hours.
- Tailored content: Bespoke content options can be designed to meet specific needs or audience requirements.
- Large group provision: Suitable for groups of 50 or more.
- Ongoing support: Follow-up education consultations available post-training to reinforce and embed learning.
CPD objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
- Explain what Pathological Demand Avoidance is and how it fits into the Autism spectrum.
- Appreciate what constitutes a demand from a PDA autistic person’s point of view.
- Understand the importance of trust and how it can be built.
- Be aware of what demand avoidance may look like.
- 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.
- Be aware of the strategies which can prevent escalation and distressed behaviours.
- Appreciate how life can be for a PDA person during the transition to adulthood.
- Understand self-help strategies that can often work for PDA adults.
- Know what good inclusive support looks like.
- Find resources and know where to go for further information on the topics covered.
Fees start from:
| No of attendees | 0–20 | 21–30 | 31–50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online | £1,100 | £1,485 | £2,338 |
| In-person (excluding expenses) |
£1,350 | £1,823 | £2,869 |
Education consultations
We are also able to offer a 60–90-minute online consultation, for up to 5 professionals, to work through perplexing situations supporting PDAers in their setting. Each session focuses on the needs of one PDAer and supports up to five professionals in exploring ways to support them.
Follow-up consultations can be added to your training package at a cost of £200 per session or can be booked individually for £230.
Final prices may vary depending upon:
- the number of attendees
- the length and format of the session
- whether a bespoke or tailored session is required
- any additional preparation or content development needed
- delivery method – eg in person, multiple sessions
Please note
The listed course fee is a base price.
Additional costs for in person training, including travel, accommodation, subsistence, and printing of handouts/resources (based on the number of delegates), will be invoiced separately after the event.
We are happy to provide a prediction of these expenses in advance, upon request.
If extended breaks (e.g. for lunch) are required, session length may need to increase.
Payment terms
- Full payment for the course is required prior to delivery.
- Expenses will be invoiced separately after the event, based on actual costs. Supporting documentation is available upon request.
- If you foresee any difficulty in meeting these terms, please contact us at the time of booking to discuss.
Fee validity and amendments
Once you have received a written quotation from our training team, fees quoted will remain valid for a maximum of 4 weeks.
How to book
To make a booking or request further information, please complete our enquiry form.
To discuss options for individual training on our public courses contact us at training.support@pdasociety.org.uk.
For assistance with our E-learning contact us at training.support@pdasociety.org.uk.
Important note: our email replies can sometimes be filtered into junk/spam/social/promotions folders – please check yours if you haven’t heard back from us within three to five working days.