PDA Society logo
Cart Icon0

Working with and supporting PDA Adults: 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 profesionals working with PDAers.

This course is designed to expand the knowledge and confidence of social care professionals who support PDA adults across various settings.

This course aims to:

  • Increase understanding of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA):
    Explore PDA as a distinct profile within the autism spectrum, which requires unique and personalised support strategies.
  • Develop practical, flexible approaches:
    Learn how to create a tailored framework of support suited to the needs of PDA adults — whether in residential care, community settings, or their own homes.

Course length

  • 4 hours
  • Custom durations available on request

Course content

  • What is PDA?
  • Demands and their effects
  • How PDA can feel
  • Helpful approaches
  • Good support
  • Looking at individual needs
  • Collaborative problem solving
  • Resources and where to go for help
  • Interview with PDA Adult (where available) or extended Q&A related to your setting

Course options available

  • Flexible delivery options: Available as a single session or as two sessions.
  • 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.
  • Know the current clinical and research themes and why PDA can sometimes be seen as controversial.
  • Explain why correct identification can vital to achieving positive outcomes.
  • Appreciate what constitutes a demand from a PDA autistic person’s point of view.
  • Understand why sensory processing difficulties can contribute to distressed behaviours.
  • 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.
  • Adopt the optimal personal mindset when working with PDA adults.
  • Identify how to adapt their own practice to better accommodate the needs of a PDA person and what reasonable adjustments may be required.
  • Appreciate why traditional behaviour modification methods are ineffective and which approaches can help instead.
  • Explain what constitutes good support and understand the impact of getting it right.
  • Understand self-help strategies that can often work for PDA adults.
  • Find resources and know where to go for further information on the topics covered.

Fees start from

Number of delegates 0–20 21–30 31–50
Online £1,100 £1,485 £2,338
In-person
(excluding expenses)
£1,350 £1,823 £2,869

Additional 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

PDA Society reserves the right to amend fees at any time. All pricing provided here should be treated as a guide only.

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.

Group training 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.