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.
Laura Kerbey is the co- founder of NEST (Neurodivergent Education Support and Training), Kite Therapeutic Learning and Healthy Happy Me. She has been working with autistic children and young people for over 20 years and provides training to ensure that the needs of autistic and PDA learners are fully met. Eliza Fricker is an illustrator and a designer based in Brighton, UK. She has a child with PDA.
Introduction Chapter One - What is PDA? Chapter Two: Making Connections Chapter Three: The Antidote to Anxiety is Trust Chapter Four: The Importance of Humour Chapter Five: Non-Verbal Language Chapter Six: The Power of Choices Chapter Seven: Wondering, learning together and sharing demands Chapter Eight: Weaving in Interests and Learning from Each Other Chapter Nine: Praise and Rewards Chapter Ten: Reducing Pressure and Picking your Battles Chapter Eleven: Be Flexible enough to Bend so that Neither of you Break Chapter Twelve: Blame the Government! Chapter Thirteen: Using Empathy Chapter Fourteen: Choose your words carefully Chapter Fifteen : The Importance of Self Care Chapter Sixteen: The Importance of Collaboration
Concise, light-hearted intro to PDA for time-poor teachers, illustrated by the popular Eliza Fricker
This positive and lively guide to working with children with PDA will become an essential part of every educator's library. Easy to dip into, entertaining and yet also full of important truths, you'll finish the book excited about the opportunities which arise when you stop fighting and instead get alongside children with PDA. You'll be shown how to rethink your interactions with children with PDA and through this create the circumstances for them to thrive. It's well worth the effort. -- Dr Naomi Fisher, clinical psychologist and author of Changing Our Minds. I wish Laura had written this book ages ago . It gives a really clear picture of what it is like to have PDA and some excellent ideas of how to help in school and college . Every teacher should own a copy of this book , not just those who work with students with PDA ....teachers need to remember we are not always ' fine in school,' and you never stop learning ! -- Caitlin, 16 ,PDA'er. The book is easily digestible and has some fantastic experiences and strategies that I can bring to my practice immediately. Some really thought provoking ideas. -- Katie Braid, Primary School Teacher I don't think I've been so excited by a book around PDA before, well, no some I have, but I actually think this is the best book so far I've read on helping "educators" understand how it all actually should happen. Because of the lived experience and personal stories, (both of successes and failures), and the language used, (omg plus those awesome images!), this is an incredibly important tool is supporting those in education to begin to reframe and rethink their approaches and education styles. The frankness, the examples and then the explanation of how and why really works, and I think can be accessed by educators, new and old. -- Tigger Pritchard Autistic/PDA Advocate, Consultant and Trainer Mind the Gap-Bridging the Neurodivide, www.tiggertraining.com
