01
Reduce the heat first
When anxiety is high, persuasion, consequences and repeated instructions usually add pressure. Start by lowering the immediate demand and protecting connection.
The PDA Product Suite
Practical tools for when everyday demands feel too much
Start with a gentle free introduction, use a concise written toolkit when you need more structure, and look ahead to deeper learning when it is ready.
The Foundation
The PDA Survival Guide
A practical, low-demand framework for parents. It moves past diagnostic debates and focuses entirely on what actually works at home and in the classroom.
New · £19 digital toolkit
The PDA Starter Kit
A concise four-page PDF for the moments when ordinary demands are creating too much pressure. Includes the 72-Hour Reset, low-pressure phrase swaps and a Three-State Tracker.
In development
PDA Support in Practice
A deeper video programme with practical parent tools is being completed and is not yet available to buy. We will only open enrolment when it can be described accurately and delivered in full.
A steadier starting point
Three things to try before you try to solve everything
This is not about giving in or removing every expectation. It is about lowering the threat level so that problem-solving becomes possible again.
02
Notice the pattern
Look for times, places, language and expectations that increase distress. The goal is not to label your child; it is to understand what makes life more manageable.
03
Make one small plan
Choose one situation to change this week: a morning transition, a school conversation, or one room at home. Small, repeatable adjustments are more sustainable than a complete reset.
Words can lower pressure
Swap the demand, not your boundaries
A phrase swap does not guarantee cooperation. It gives your child more room to feel safe, gives you information about what is hard, and keeps the relationship available.
When school is part of the pressure
Help the adults around your child see the pattern
School support is not about persuading everyone to use the same label. It is about sharing the impact of demands, agreeing what makes attendance and learning more possible, and reviewing the plan against your child’s wellbeing.
- Describe what the school sees and what happens before, during and after the difficult point.
- Ask what flexibility is possible around transition, language, task choice, exit routes and recovery time.
- Agree one small adjustment, a review date and the evidence that will show whether it helps.
Keep going, without doing everything today
Start with the Mini-Kit. Use the Starter Kit when you are ready.
The free Mini-Kit gives you a gentle introduction. The £19 PDA Starter Kit is ready now if you need a structured 72-Hour Reset, phrase swaps and a clear way to notice patterns at home.