PDA North America - Pathological Demand Avoidance

PDA North America - Pathological Demand Avoidance Our mission is bold. We want to spread awareness of PDA to parents, individuals, educators and therapists throughout the US and Canada.
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Our mission is to provide advocacy, education, and resources to autistic PDA individuals, others who identify as PDA and their families along with the professionals who support them. We want families to have a place to turn for support and guidance. We want professionals to be able to receive training, consultation and information in order to effectively teach or treat PDAers. And we want PDAers to know that they are understood. In short, to build a strong and vibrant community for this underserved population.

Parenting a PDA or complex neurodivergent child doesn’t happen in isolation.It happens inside caregivers nervous systems...
01/06/2026

Parenting a PDA or complex neurodivergent child doesn’t happen in isolation.
It happens inside caregivers nervous systems too.

When a child’s fight-or-flight response turns into aggression, it can collide painfully with a parent’s own history, body memory, and trauma. Knowing why it’s happening doesn’t magically make it easy to hold.

This piece gently explores the difference between intent and impact, accountability and burden, and the quiet, powerful work of repair—when thinking brains come back online and love finds its way through.

Healing doesn’t mean never getting hurt again.
It means learning, again and again, to tell the difference between the pain of the past and the love that’s right here in the present.

👉 If you'd like the link to read the full article by parent to PDAer, Liz Koch, comment "untangle" and we'll DM it to you!





🧠💛 PDA & the body are deeply connected.Join us for a live webinar with Physical Therapist, Shelley Kleinman:📅 Thursday, ...
01/06/2026

🧠💛 PDA & the body are deeply connected.

Join us for a live webinar with Physical Therapist, Shelley Kleinman:
📅 Thursday, February 19 | 7:00PM CST

This session is designed with PDAers in mind—offering low-demand, body-based tools to support nervous system safety without pushing, forcing, or fixing.

We’ll explore gentle ways to work with your body around:
• anxiety
• pain & discomfort
• digestion
• sleep
• breathing
• everyday movement

✨ Choice-based. Flexible. Use what helps, leave what doesn’t.

🎟️ Register here: https://buff.ly/iMXyo2x

ACT & PDA: Unlocking ACT for PDAers 💬Ever heard of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)? It’s a therapy that helps pe...
01/06/2026

ACT & PDA: Unlocking ACT for PDAers 💬

Ever heard of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)? It’s a therapy that helps people notice their thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them—and take action that aligns with their values.

Join Jenny Hoving, LPC and Melissa Emmerson, LCSW to explore ACT through a relational lens for individuals with PDA and their families. You’ll learn practical adaptations, ways to support connection, and strategies that actually work for PDA profiles.

📅 Thursday, Feb 12, 2026 | 7PM CST
🎟️ Register: https://buff.ly/b9mCc3a

📅 Coming next week!Join PJ Starling () for PDA & Fatherhood — a space where dads can connect, vent, and feel understood...
01/05/2026

📅 Coming next week!
Join PJ Starling () for PDA & Fatherhood — a space where dads can connect, vent, and feel understood.
🗓 Jan 12 @ 7 PM CST
🎟️ | https://buff.ly/zZufln7
No pressure, no prep — just real conversation.

The PDA community doesn’t come together like this often.In one room (virtually or in-person): lived experience, honest c...
01/05/2026

The PDA community doesn’t come together like this often.
In one room (virtually or in-person): lived experience, honest conversations, and the deep exhale of being seen and understood.

If you're virtual, the chat room is always open. If you're in-person, opportunities for connection are all around you and this year we've made even more.

🎟️ Early Bird Ticket sales for the 2026 PDA North America Conference end January 16 at 12pm Central. What's more? Every person that buys pre-sale tickets (including those that already have!) will get 50% off any live webinar in 2026!

If you’ve been thinking “maybe”, check out the testimonials and perhaps it will give you the nudge you need. We would love to see you there. 💛

If you comment "2026 Conference", we'll send you the link for more info.

In this week’s speaker spotlight for the 7th Annual PDA North America Conference, we’re highlighting Zach Morris M.Ed.—a...
01/05/2026

In this week’s speaker spotlight for the 7th Annual PDA North America Conference, we’re highlighting Zach Morris M.Ed.—a leading expert in PDA learning & education & father, Zach is committed to supporting families and organizations who aim to develop a greater sense of safety and empowerment in themselves, in their relationships, and in their communities. Zach will be speaking LIVE on March 6th (Virtual tickets include access to this day as well!)

Zach brings both professional expertise and lived experience as a late-diagnosed Autistic, ADHD (AuDHD) PDAer.

🗣️ Demystifying Learning for PDAers of All Ages

About the Talk:
With so many ideas out there about learning, let's unearth the foundation of this complex topic to create a clearer picture of what learning means, and identify how we can interact with the process. We will examine learning from a big picture perspective that can be applied to PDAers of all ages in all kinds of environments.

About Zach:
Zach Morris is an autistic thought leader in education. He is committed to helping people increase compassion, collaboration, and learning. Zach supports individuals, families, and organizations who aim to develop a greater sense of safety and empowerment in themselves, in their relationships, and in their communities.

Gently guiding humans through the resistance they encounter is at the core of Zach’s work. He is inspired by the science of how people learn and change, and he aims to translate this to help individuals and communities improve awareness, communication, and structural support. Zach has 10+ years experience in the classroom, ranging from inner-city public school to rural therapeutic boarding school, and from non-traditional private school to individual co-op homeschool. Before transitioning into private practice where he now offers education consulting and family support services, Zach previously served as the director for a non-traditional k-12 school in Missoula, MT for eight years, after founding this school from the ground up. He is a forever student of neurodiversity and learning, and he continues to serve families that have been unable to thrive within education.

Zach is most at home in the mountains of Montana where he lives with his partner and two boys. When he is not championing compassionate learning structures, he likes to spend his time walking in the woods, cooking for the people he loves, and making music.

🔗 To learn more about the conference and grab your early-bird tickets, visit:
https://buff.ly/Gza0sLz

Hey dads 👋 Need a space where you can drop the mask, vent, or ask “is this typical?"You’ve got one.💬 Join PJ Starling ()...
01/03/2026

Hey dads 👋 Need a space where you can drop the mask, vent, or ask “is this typical?"
You’ve got one.

💬 Join PJ Starling () on Feb 10 @ 7 PM CST for PDA & Fatherhood.
✅ Real conversations
✅ Practical insights
✅ Understanding community

🎟️| https://buff.ly/PW2plxY

You don’t need to have all the answers — just bring yourself.

New Webinar! PANS, PANDAS & Neurodivergence🗓 Jan 29 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM CSTWe know how confusing, exhausting, and emoti...
01/02/2026

New Webinar! PANS, PANDAS & Neurodivergence
🗓 Jan 29 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM CST

We know how confusing, exhausting, and emotional it can be for families navigating PANS or PANDAS, especially alongside neurodivergence. It can be hard to know what’s happening, what’s typical, and how to offer support.

Join us for a safe, compassionate, neuro-affirming webinar with AuDHD Educator Helen Edgar and PDA AuDHD Nurse Consultant Laura Hellfeld. Together, we’ll explore what these experiences can look like day-to-day and share practical, supportive strategies for home and school.

You’re not alone in this journey—we see you, we hear you, and we want to support you. 💛

🎟 Reserve your spot: https://buff.ly/gdn6mP2

If you're struggling with communication with your PDA child, our PDA Communication Part 1 & 2 Trainings by Keri Schouten...
01/02/2026

If you're struggling with communication with your PDA child, our PDA Communication Part 1 & 2 Trainings by Keri Schouten, PDAer and coach to parents of PDAers are beyond comparison. But you don't have to take our word for it. 👀

"Absolutely life (and mind) changing. WOW. 🤯 There is SO much in this training. It could be made into an entire weekend retreat or parenting book...I received multiple enlightening moments throughout the 2+hours of insight!

Literally every aspect of this surpassed my expectations, from the visuals to the personal videos shared- even the tone and cadence of Keri's voice!

To offer perspective: I am a parent to a PDA child as well as a professional homeschool mentor for parents and kids who need an outside of the box leaning approach. I'm also a credentialed teacher. I've sat though decades of virtual and in-person trainings. I've GIVEN and lead numerous trainings and am, myself a mentor to adults and children...all this to say, the bar is high!

I found this to be one of the most impactful offerings of insight that I've ever had access to. I felt seen, validated, challenged, and found myself rewinding multiple times in order to process the insight better.

This training is a GIFT for any parent or educator, including those who "know" PDA and might hesitate to invest in yet another training.

Keri takes us FAR beyond the basics of a low demand approach and REALLY clarifies so many of the bigger questions and ponderings that parents raising PDA kids have: boundaries, maladaptive behaviors, autonomy (for PDA kids and for their parents), consent....just SO much!

I'll play this one back again and again...I'm sure different parts will jump out at me through my child's growth and development! I'm tempted to replay it immediately. It's truly worth your time."

Amanda S., Parent of PDAer

💬 Comment "PDA Communication" if you'd like us to share the link for the pre-recorded Part 1 and to the upcoming LIVE part 2. ❤️

👀 Start 2026 off on the right foot! Next week: PDA 101 with Diane Gould!Learn what PDA really means and how to support a...
01/01/2026

👀 Start 2026 off on the right foot! Next week: PDA 101 with Diane Gould!
Learn what PDA really means and how to support autonomy with care.
🗓 Thurs, Jan 8 | 7 PM CST
https://buff.ly/zi2o53e

🚨 PDA RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY 🚨One of the members of the PDANA research committee, Marni Kammersell, is doing her dissertat...
12/31/2025

🚨 PDA RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY 🚨

One of the members of the PDANA research committee, Marni Kammersell, is doing her dissertation study and needs your help! She's seeking parents/caregivers of PDA young adults who unschooled. Participant criteria is below:

👀 Seeking Parents/Caregivers of PDA Young Adults who Unschooled

- Are you the parent of a young adult age 18-25 with a Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile?
- Did your family unschool for at least part of their teen years in the United States?
- I’m conducting a doctoral research study exploring family experiences of unschooling with a PDA young person and I would love to hear your story.
- One 60-90 minute confidential Zoom interview.
- Must fill out the form prior to Jan 31, 2026

For more information:
Contact marnina.kammersell@bgs.edu
Or visit https://buff.ly/889Vo6r

💬 If you'd like, comment "unschool research" below and we'll send you the links directly to your inbox.

12/31/2025

2025 was a big year.

We had new trainings, new research, bigger communities with even louder voices.
More families reached, more professionals trained and more PDAers seen and supported.

Thank you to every PDAer, caregiver, educator, therapist, advocate, and voice who showed up for a PDA person in your life this year. For yourselves, for your kids, for our community.

We’re only just getting started. ✨

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Deerfield, IL

Website

https://pdanorthamerica.org/

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Our Story

PDA North America was established as a result of the March 2020 Chicago PDA workshop. At this first PDA event in America, there was overwhelming enthusiasm and support for an ongoing effort in the US and Canada by the parents and professionals who attended. Diane Gould hosted the workshop and she is the founder of PDA North America. The workshop presenters from the UK were Laura Kerbey and Harry Thompson who serve as advisors to PDA North America. Sandra McConnell and Ann Hackler-Foutch, parents of children with PDA have joined the PDA North America effort as Certified PDA Trainers and Consultants.