Positive Progress

https://www.totalcommunication.com.sg/post/understanding-pathological-demand-avoidance-pda-in-kids

Following on from our PDA focus, here's a great and informative website for anybody interested in learning more.

Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in Kids Pathological Demand Avoidance involves extreme avoidance of everyday demands due to anxiety, impacting many, including those with autism.

Our new centre in Prescot is opening very soon! Watch out for our launch event! 🎉

Offering private tuition from Year 1-A Level and a daytime alternative provision to support students aged 11 to 16 facing social, emotional and mental health challenges.

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Today in West Derby we did some staff training on PDA.

PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance or Persistent Drive for Autonomy) is a profile associated with autism where everyday demands can trigger high levels of anxiety. Children with PDA may resist requests, avoid tasks, or appear oppositional—not because they are being difficult, but because they feel a strong need to stay in control.

✨ 5 Tips to Support a Child with PDA:

1️⃣ Reduce direct demands where possible and offer choices.

2️⃣ Use collaboration instead of commands: "How can we do this together?"

3️⃣ Keep communication calm, flexible, and low-pressure.

4️⃣ Build trust and connection before focusing on tasks.

5️⃣ Pick your battles—prioritise what really matters.

Understanding the anxiety behind the behaviour can make a big difference. Small changes in approach can help children feel safer, more regulated, and more able to engage.

If your child is neurodiverse, our staff are all trained in the best ways to support them. More importantly, we listen to the child's needs and what their behaviour is telling us.

War poetry and propaganda in English with Michelle today. Fabulous work.

If you're a current or former parent or carer, we would love your feedback! Please leave us a Facebook review...as an independent local business, we really appreciate it.

Happy Birthday Queen Marg!

Our very own director is 21 again today. We love you - hope you have a fabulous day!

🫶🎉🎂🎊🎈

This week is Men's Mental Health Week.​

Some useful links if you know a man who is struggling:​

https://seansplace.org.uk

https://andysmanclub.co.uk/groups/

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Please share.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c77yx1jpg1nt

A huge announcement today from the government on the social media ban. What do we think? Have they gone far enough or too far?

Under-16s to be banned from social media by next spring, Starmer says - live updates A 13-year-old pupil from Manchester says "it's time" for something to be done, while another says he's "angry and disappointed".

Such fabulous work from C, one of our daytime students, who has been learning about specialised plant cells in science. 😍😍😍