PDA and School: Understanding Demand Avoidance and Learning

About this course

A Certificate of Completion for 2.5 hours professional development will be available for you to download upon completion of this course. 

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)—increasingly reframed as Persistent Drive for Autonomy—is a profile most often associated with autism and, in many cases, ADHD. PDA is not about opposition or defiance; it is a protective nervous-system response to demands that feel overwhelming, unpredictable, or threatening to a person’s sense of autonomy and safety.

In the school environment, where expectations and transitions are constant, students with PDA profiles can experience significant emotional and sensory distress. Understanding this profile through a neuroaffirming, regulation-based lens allows educators and support teams to create classrooms where autonomy, trust, and wellbeing are prioritised over compliance.

In this comprehensive presentation, neuroaffirming registered developmental educator and researcher Barb Cook explores the neuroscience, lived experience, and practical classroom strategies that support children and teens with PDA. Grounded in evidence and empathy, the session moves beyond behaviour management to focus on connection, co-regulation, and collaboration—the keys to supporting learning, emotional safety, and engagement.


What You’ll Learn

  • Understanding PDA:
     Explore how the PDA profile presents in autistic and ADHD students, reframing “demand avoidance” as a protective response rather than defiance.
  • The Neuroscience of Demand Avoidance:
     Learn about the amygdala, emotional regulation, that drives intense reactions to perceived demands or threats.
  • Emotional Regulation and Overwhelm:
     Identify signs of emotional distress, shutdowns, and meltdowns; recognise how masking and delayed reactions manifest in school settings.
  • Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD):
     Understand the overlap between PDA and RSD, and how heightened sensitivity to rejection or criticism affects learning and relationships.
  • Sensory and Interoceptive Awareness:
     Examine how sensory overload and interoceptive differences contribute to anxiety and avoidance, and how classrooms can be adapted to reduce stress.
  • Communication and Language of Demands:
     Learn how phrasing, tone, and hierarchy influence nervous-system safety; use low-demand, collaborative, and curiosity-based language to build trust.
  • Teaching and Learning Strategies:
     Discover how to create low-pressure learning environments through flexible routines, interest-based engagement, and autonomy-supportive teaching.
  • Building Self-Awareness and Self-Advocacy:
     Support students to recognise triggers, express needs safely, and develop interoceptive awareness, confidence, and emotional literacy.
  • Proprioceptive and Movement-Based Regulation:
     Understand the importance of movement, proprioceptive input, and weight-bearing activities in emotional regulation and classroom participation.
  • Supporting School Distress (School Refusal):
     Explore compassionate, non-blaming approaches to reconnecting students who experience school avoidance or functional attendance due to stress.


Who is This Training For

This training is designed for:

  • Teachers, education assistants and school leaders
  • Parents and carers of PDA/autistic/ADHD students
  • Allied health professionals (Developmental Educators, OTs, psychologists, speech pathologists)
  • Support workers and youth mentors seeking practical neuroaffirming strategies


Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will:

  • Understand PDA as a neurobiological and adaptive profile rather than a behavioural disorder
  • Recognise emotional and sensory factors that contribute to demand avoidance and school distress
  • Implement communication and teaching strategies that foster autonomy and emotional safety
  • Apply relationship-based approaches to reduce anxiety and build trust with students
  • Identify tools to support self-advocacy, emotional regulation, and proprioceptive needs in learning environments


This training course may be claimable for Self & Plan Managed NDIS Participants. Please check with your plan manager/LAC.

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Course curriculum

    1. Autism/ADHD: PDA & School - Understanding Demand Avoidance and Learning

    1. Presentation Slides

    2. Recommended Readings (Books)

    3. Website Links

About this course

  • $69.00
  • 2.5 hours of video content
  • Certificate of Completion for 2.5 Hours Professional Development
  • 30 Days to complete course

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About the Presenter

Barb Cook Girl Women Autism Workshop

Barb Cook, M.Aut.(Ed), Dip.HSc.(Nut)

Registered Developmental Educator | NDIS Registered Specialist Level Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner | Integrative Nutritionist | Accredited Athletics Coach

Barb Cook is a registered Developmental Educator, past Deputy Chair of the Developmental Educators Australia Incorporated (DEAI), NDIS registered Specialist Level Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner, an Integrative Nutritionist, an accredited Australian Athletics Youth Development Coach and accredited athletics coach (specialising in throws) with Australian Track and Field Coaching Association (ATFCA).

Barb was diagnosed with ADHD, autism and dyslexia 2009 bringing a lived experience perspective alongside her clinical and research practice. She is a highly committed advocate, writer, editor, and highly sought-after international speaker. She has made appearances on Australian radio and television, in newspapers and magazines, and in the SBS television documentary The Chameleons: Women with Autism.

Barb holds a Master of Autism degree (education) from the University of Wollongong where she was also a researcher and co-project lead in the area of self-determination and self-advocacy for autistic teens and adults.

Barb takes a holistic approach in working with autistic/ADHD people and is dedicated to improving the overall well-being and quality of life for autistic, ADHD and dyslexic people. She is currently engaged in multiple research projects in the USA including a five year study on A Comparison of Two Brief Suicide Prevention Interventions Tailored for Youth on the Autism Spectrum, Comparing Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy versus Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Autistic Adults, and autism and ageing. 

Barb is internationally recognised for her bestselling book on autism in women, Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism with Dr Michelle Garnett, filling the gap in literature between lived experience of autistic women and the clinical knowledge. Barb’s second best-selling book co-authored with Yenn Purkis, The Autism and Neurodiversity Self-Advocacy Handbook: Developing Skills to Determine Your Own Future, is an essential guidebook that gives you the tools and strategies to advocate for yourself in any situation, developing your skills in standing up for yourself, your needs and wishes. Barb's third book, Planning Your Career Through Intense Interests is focused on assisting young autistic adults in navigating careers pathways.

Barb is founder of Spectrum Women Magazine and is a prolific writer on autism, ADHD and health and wellbeing.

Barb is a highly sought-after international speaker and presents on a variety of topics. Barb spoke at the World Autism Organisation Congress 2018 in Houston Texas, in 2019 she was invited by the United States government to keynote a special event “A Woman’s Voice: Understanding Autistic Needs” for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM) in Washington DC, USA and 2024 spoke with Dr Temple Grandin, Dr Rebecca Evanko and Taylor Heaton in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA at AutFest on autistic women.

Barb was awarded the “A Different Brilliant” award at the Aspect National Recognition Awards in Sydney and the Leadership Support Award from the Neurodiversity Academy in 2021. In 2017 she received a Special Commendation from Queensland’s Governor, his Excellency, Paul De Jersey for the Autism Queensland Creative Futures Awards.

Barb is a passionate motorcyclist and a master's athlete specialising in javelin, discus, and shot put. She is also an all-around athletics coach and a dedicated volunteer at her local athletics club, where she supports young people of all abilities in discovering fun and fitness through athletics. Barb also enjoys roller skating and rollerblading at an outdoor rink near her home, and riding her motorcycle which helps her practice self-care and effectively reduces anxiety and combats depression.

Visit www.neurodiversityhub.com/barb-cook/ and www.barbcook.com.au to learn more about Barb Cook.

Published research:

29 August 2024: Brief Report: Under-Identification of Symptomatic Menopause in Public-Insured Autistic People. Teal W. Benevides, Barb Cook, Laura G. Klinger, Kiley J. McLean, Gregory L. Wallace, Meghan E. Carey, Wei-Lin Lee, Jonas Ventimiglia, Lauren D. Schiff and Lindsay Shea. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.  doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06516-x  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-024-06516-x

19 May 2020: Listening to the autistic voice: Mental health priorities to guide research and practice in autism from a stakeholder-driven project. Teal W Benevides, Stephen Shore, May-Lynn Andresen, Barb Cook, Steven S. Coughlin, Dena L Gassner, Becca Lory Hector, and Lisa Morgan. Sage Journals: Autism doi.org/10.1177/1362361320908410 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362361320908410

11 May 2020: Interventions to address health outcomes among autistic adults: A systematic review. Teal W. Benevides, Stephen Shore, May-Lynn Andresen, Reid Caplan, Barb Cook, Dena L Gassner, Jasmine M Erves, Taylor M Hazlewood, M Caroline King, Lisa Morgan, Lauren E Murphy, Yenn Purkis, Brigid Rankowski, Sarah M Rutledge, Savannah P Welch and Karl Wittig. Sage Journals: Autism. doi.org/10.1177/1362361320913664 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1362361320913664

 

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