Therapist Neurodiversity Collective Inc. ®
– a trailblazer in neurodiversity-affirming therapy, education, and advocacy since January 2018!
- Elevate your professional skills and earn professional development/continuing education hours! Dive into our cost-effective live, on-demand, and in-depth neurodiversity-affirming professional development courses for therapists and teachers!
PDA: Neurodiversity-Affirming, Trauma Informed Practice & Supports
PDA: Neurodiversity Affirming, Trauma-Informed Practice & Supports
Join Therapist Neurodiversity Collective and Dr. Panicha McGuire in a deep dive into PDA that equips therapists with research-aligned, neurodiversity-affirming tools for reducing anxiety around demands, supporting regulation, and building collaborative pathways that strengthen autonomy across home, school, and community environments.
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) also known as Persistent/Pervasive Drive for Autonomy refers to a profile on the neurodiversity spectrum characterized by an intense, anxiety-driven need for autonomy and an extreme avoidance of demands. Although widely recognized by neurodiversity-affirming professionals and the PDA community, PDA is not formally acknowledged as a distinct diagnosis. This course provides a comprehensive overview of PDA across the lifespan, explores links between PDA and nervous system dysregulation and presents trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming strategies for support in home, school, and community settings. Participants will gain insights and practical tools from understanding why demands trigger extreme anxiety to implementing collaborative, autonomy-enhancing approaches that foster safety and connection.
What you will learn:
- Deepen Understanding of PDA: Expand professionals’ and families’ understanding of PDA’s defining characteristics and how it presents across different ages, leading to greater empathy and more accurate identification of this profile.
- Integrate Trauma-Informed Perspectives: Encourage a shift from compliance-based approaches to trauma-informed practices, recognizing demand avoidance as a sign of anxiety or nervous system distress rather than willful defiance. This perspective will improve participants’ ability to create environments of felt safety, co-regulation, and trust for PDA individuals.
- Enhance Support Strategies: Equip participants with neurodiversity-affirming strategies and practical tools to support autonomy and reduce demand-related anxiety in home, school, and community settings. Participants will be prepared to implement flexible supports and accommodations that improve daily functioning and relationships
for individuals with PDA.
🤔 What could 26 courses teach you about neurodiversity paradigm-centered practice?
👉 Check out hours and hours of expert-led courses you can take anytime, anywhere.
🤝 We believe access to neurodiversity focused education shouldn’t come at an inflated cost. That’s why every on-demand short course is ethically priced at $10–$30.
