Understanding The PDA Autistic Profile

by PDA North America 

Awareness of the PDA profile of autism is spreading across America, but there is still a drastic need for deeper understanding. This full day workshop for parents, therapists, educators will work on a enhancing your knowledge of PDA and focus on effective ways to support these anxious, autistic demand avoidant individuals. Recognizing PDA also has the benefit of providing a broader and more accurate sense of autism. 

A light breakfast, coffee/tea, and lunch are all catered by the venue and included in the ticket price. Lunch is buffet style and you'll have a full hour to network with other people in attendance. 

Joining us for this event are the following speakers: 

• Diane Gould, Founder of PDA North America and author of Navigating PDA in America
• Dr. Donna Henderson, Neuropsychologist and author
• Dr. Sarah Wayland, Author & Owner of Guiding Exceptional Parents
• Guy Stephens, Founder of Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint
• Sandra McConnell, Adult PDAer & PDA Parent Coach
• Britt Rathbone, Clinical Social Worker, Author, Founder of Capital Youth Services

NOTE: Social Work CEUs are provided by Capital Youth Services, approved by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners. This training qualifies for Category I continuing education units.

AGENDA:

8:00am - Light Breakfast and Registration (breakfast will be provided)

8:30am -  Talk: Misunderstood by Dr. Donna Henderson & Dr. Sarah Wayland

10:30am - Talk: Supporting PDAers by Diane Gould

11:30am -  Talk: Misunderstood in the Name of Behavior: What You Need to Know by Guy Stephens

12:30pm - Lunch & Networking (lunch will be provided)

1:30pm - Talk: Communication & Changing the Paradigm by Sandra McConnell

2:30pm - Panel: Panel of Parents of PDAers moderated by Britt Rathbone, LCSW

3:30pm - Closing Remarks

About Diane Gould: 

Diane is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker that specializes in serving autistic individuals. As the Executive Director and Founder of PDA North America, she founded the annual PDA North America conference held in Chicago that has changed the lives of hundreds of PDA families. Diane is also the author of the newly published book, Navigating PDA in America. dianegouldtherapy.com

About Dr. Donna Henderson: 

Dr. Donna Henderson is a clinical neuropsychologist specializing in neuropsychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults who would like to understand themselves better. She is co-author, with Sarah Wayland and Jamell White, of Is This Autism? A guide for clinicians and everyone else. Dr. Henderson is a sought-after lecturer and provides neurodiversity-affirmative training and consultation for other healthcare professionals.

About Dr. Sarah Wayland: 

Sarah Wayland applies the neuroscience of behavior and practical lived experience while providing neurodiversity-affirmative support, education, and community for caregivers of neurodivergent children. She provides Neurodivergent Care Coordination services and parent coaching, including Relationship-based Dynamic Intelligence (RDI) – which aims to restore the guiding relationship and teach kids how to navigate a constantly changing world. See www.guidingexceptionalparents.com.

About Guy Stephens: 

Guy Stephens is a passionate advocate and a nationally recognized expert on restraint and seclusion. In 2019, Guy founded the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR), a highly respected national nonprofit organization. AASR's mission is to inform changes in policy and practice to reduce and eliminate the use of punitive and exclusionary discipline and outdated behavioral management approaches and end the school-to-prison pipeline. Guy promotes trauma-informed, neuroscience-aligned, neurodiversity-affirming, relationship-driven, and collaborative approaches to working with children. He has presented at conferences and events across North America and regularly speaks as a guest lecturer for undergraduate and graduate courses. Guy currently serves as the president of the board of directors for The Arc of Maryland and as a board member for PDA North America. Guy believes that we can do better for all children and adults; if we can, we must. Guy understands that we must embrace neurodiversity and neuroscience to create safe and inclusive environments and ensure equal rights and opportunities for all. (Full Bio)

About Britt Rathbone: 

Britt H. Rathbone is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in treating adolescents and is the director of Rathbone & Associates, an adolescent psychotherapy practice. He is a founding member of the Washington DC based MetroDBT Consortium. Mr. Rathbone earned his social work degree from Columbia University and in addition to his clinical work has been an instructor of graduate social work students at the National Catholic University School of Social Service. He is committed to providing treatments that work for young people, and training service providers to do the same. He has been consistently named a top therapist for teenagers by Washingtonian magazine.

About Sandra McConnell: 

Sandra was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has training and career experiences in crime scene investigation, mediation, professional photography, corporate communications, course instruction, and managing/supervising teams. She has a B.A. in Psychology/Criminology, M.A. in Forensic Psychophysiology, and two graduate certificates from Landmark College in Learning Differences & Neurodiversity with emphases in Executive Functions and Autism.  She lives in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., region of the United States with her husband and three children, one of whom is proudly PDA, and another ADHD. She’s been diagnosed as Autistic PDA and Schizoid Personality, too. She believes that raising children in neurodivergent-affirming environments that respect their unique, core “self” is critical to their development and success. You can read more about Sandra and her approach to PDA parenting at her blog, www.PDAMamaBear.com

For financial assistance contact sara@pdanorthamerica.org. For social workers, we are applying for CEs and will let you know when we have access. 

Social Work CEUs are provided by Capital Youth Services, approved by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners. Please check your state to see if they recognize CEUs sponsored by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Capital Youth Services is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education programs and maintains full responsibility for this program. This training qualifies for Category I continuing education units.