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Working with and supporting PDA young people and 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 professionals working with PDAers.

This course is designed to expand the knowledge and confidence of those who work with and support PDA young people and adults across a variety of settings.

Course aims:

  • Enhance understanding of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA):
    Explore PDA as a profile within the autism spectrum, which requires distinct and personalised support strategies.
  • Develop adaptable, person-centred approaches:
    Learn how to create a tailored, flexible framework of practical approaches for supporting PDA young people and adults in everyday settings.

Course length

  • 3.5 hours
  • Custom durations available on request

Course content

  • What is PDA?
  • Demands and their effects
  • How PDA can feel
  • How caregivers can feel
  • Practice guidance
  • Helpful approaches
  • Teenagers
  • Individual needs
  • Inclusive support
  • Resources and signposting

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.

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.
  • Find further information and guidance on diagnosis of a PDA profile.
  • Appreciate what constitutes a demand from a PDA person’s point of view.
  • 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.
  • Understand what is meant by ‘masking’ and why this can cause confusion between different settings.
  • Appreciate why trust is so important when building effective relationships.
  • Identify how to adapt their own practice to better accommodate the needs of a PDA child and what reasonable adjustments may be required.
  • Understand the importance of phraseology and language when supporting PDA people.
  • Be aware of the strategies which best support a PDA person with distressed behaviours.
  • Understand why sensory processing difficulties can contribute to distressed behaviours.
  • Appreciate differences that may happen in teenage years and when transitioning to adulthood.
  • Suggest self-help strategies for older children and adults.
  • Have clarity on what good support looks like for PDA people.
  • 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, 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.