Our 17 year old PDA daughter has had what could be described as a ‘patchy’ education experience. Through no fault of her own, I must add.
Those of you who have read our book PDA in the Family or followed my blog or my Facebook page closely will know many of the details of her education trials and tribulations. It’s a long story, containing some superheroes but also a couple of villains, sadly.
We have news. This week, we found out that our PDAer has passed her Functional Skills Level 2 in English. This qualification is equivalent to a English GCSE grade 4 (a C in old money!).
There was no stress around sitting this exam, no preparation for it at home. All she has done is two 45-minute sessions of English per week for a grand total of four and a half school terms. I think her English teacher only talked about the possibility of her taking this exam for one of those terms. So it’s pretty much a case of ‘rocked up and aced it’.
We’ve always known that she has a brilliant mind – her range and use of vocabulary is amazing at times. I say ‘at times’ because for much of the time she does not talk in person, to us or others. She types insightful comments online (she’s no fan of TikTok but is well versed in YouTube!) and also types fan fictions that she publishes online. Communicating is probably one of her biggest challenges in life – she can talk, very well, but generally only on ‘topics of her own choosing’. There’s no denying however, that her English language skills are outstanding.
The previous specialist setting Sasha attended would not even agree to let her try English and Maths lessons – there’s a longer story to that of course, and there’s a few more details in my latest blog post: PDA and Education – an update. Success!
What made this current setting different? How have they managed to support Sasha and help her achieve this result?
People. Attitudes. A desire to understand and help the individual. A way of encouraging – working with Sasha rather than teaching at her. That’s what has made the difference. Sasha has had full attendance since the day she started (apart from an odd sick day), and that is no mean feat for a girl who was classed as a school refuser for a long time. We are so proud of her, and very grateful to the individuals who work at this setting.
Speaking news…
I’m pleased to announce that I will be presenting at this year’s Autism & ADHD Show. This event is taking place at the Business Design Centre in London over two days, 20-21st June. I will be on stage in the Autism Matters theatre on Friday 20th at 11.30, talking about our daughter’s education experience and strategies that can help support PDA individuals in school.
This event also takes place in Manchester and Birmingham on different weekends. For more information see the event website at Autism and ADHD show.
Here’s a look at the rest of the line-up before and after me – awesome speakers, I’m trying hard not to feel intimidated!! Autism Matters Theatre Friday 20th June London
Book reviews
I’ve got more book reviews to come but for now I thought I’d go all the way back to the original book on PDA. First published years ago, the information in Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome in Children is still very much relevant and helpful. For more detail about the contents, see my main PDA books review post (it’s the first book in the list): Books about the Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile of autism
Podcast news
There’s a new podcast out now, hosted by lovely Izzy Judd (mum of neurodivergent children and wife of Harry, McFly member, for celebrity fans!). It’s called Let’s Talk Neurodivergent Kids and can be found in all the usual places. In her first episode she chats about PDA with Eliza Fricker, author of Missing the Mark blog and The Family Experience of PDA book.
Question Time
Back to education issues – I’d love to know how your PDA individual has found school?
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, please get in touch via stephstwogirls@gmail.com or reply to this email. If you know someone else who would like more info about PDA, please feel free to forward them this email and ask them to subscribe to receive further updates!
