Behaviour

Help the Demand Avoidant (PDA) Child in Your Class

When the usual autism strategies make things worse, learn the gentler, indirect approach that helps a child with PDA stay settled in class.

  • 27 minutes
  • 8 modules
  • 0.5 CPD hours
  • Certificate

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14 days free, then £70 a year or £7 a month.

What you'll learn

  • Spot when a child with PDA is nearing overload, and ease off before it spills over
  • Use indirect, collaborative language that takes the demand out of a request
  • Set up discreet signals and a safe space the child can use without attention
  • Find the key adult who can help the child calm down without fuss
  • Agree realistic goals with parents and loosen the timetable to match

About this course

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.

  • For early career teachers, middle leaders and 4 other roles. All phases.

8 modules

Open in order

  1. Introduction

    4 min
  2. Wrap up & other resources

    3 min
  3. Tolerance levels

    1 question

    7 min
  4. Relationships

    1 question

    3 min
  5. Sensory issues

    1 question

    3 min
  6. Collaborative approaches

    1 question

    5 min
  7. Be fun!

    1 question

    2 min
  8. Shift perspectives

    4 min