PDA North America

### Context Profile for PDA North America

1. **Organization Mission & Cause**:
   - **Mission**: PDA North America is dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for individuals with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), a profile on the autism spectrum characterized by an extreme avoidance of everyday demands and expectations. Their mission is to educate, advocate, and empower families and professionals to better understand and support those affected by PDA.
   - **Cause**: The organization aims to promote acceptance and understanding of PDA, ensuring that individuals with this profile receive appropriate support and resources.

2. **Type of Activities**:
   - **Events**: PDA North America hosts various events, including workshops, webinars, and in-person gatherings. For example, the recent event titled "Understanding & Supporting PDA" at Fusion Academy focused on educating attendees about PDA.
   - **Fundraising Campaigns**: They conduct fundraising initiatives to support their educational programs and outreach efforts.
   - **Community Programs**: The organization provides resources and support for parents, professionals, and individuals affected by PDA, including informational materials and networking opportunities.

3. **Tone of Voice**:
   - The tone of voice used by PDA North America is **friendly, supportive, and informative**. Their communications aim to be accessible and relatable, fostering a sense of community among those affected by PDA. The language is often encouraging and empathetic, reflecting their commitment to support and advocacy.

4. **Emoji Usage**:
   - The organization does not prominently feature emojis in their communications, maintaining a more professional and straightforward approach in their messaging. This suggests a preference for clarity and seriousness regarding their cause.

5. **Key Facts**:
   - **Founding Info**: Specific founding details were not explicitly stated on the website, but the organization appears to have been established to address the needs of individuals with PDA in North America.
   - **Scale**: PDA North America has conducted 13 total forms and 277 email campaigns, indicating an active engagement with their audience.
   - **Impact Metrics**: While specific metrics were not detailed, the organization emphasizes community engagement and support through events and educational outreach.
   - **Volunteer Info**: Information regarding volunteer opportunities is not explicitly mentioned on the website, suggesting that they may focus more on professional support and community engagement.

6. **Writing Guidelines**:
   - **Style**: Content should be clear, concise, and supportive. Use of empathetic language is encouraged to resonate with families and professionals dealing with PDA.
   - **Structure**: Use headings and bullet points for easy readability. Ensure that information is presented in a logical flow, especially when discussing events or resources.
   - **Audience Engagement**: Personalize communications where possible, using the recipient's name and addressing their specific interests or needs related to PDA.
   - **Call to Action**: Include clear calls to action in emails and promotional materials, encouraging participation in events or support for fundraising efforts.

This context profile serves as a foundation for creating tailored content for PDA North America, ensuring alignment with their mission, tone, and audience engagement strategies.

LXCL:for financial assistance email: info@pdanorthamerica.org

Ticket

After receiving such rave reviews from parents and PDAers alike, we&#39;ve invited adult PDAer and PDA Parenting Coach, Keri Schouten, back for part 2 of her talk on PDA Communication - Co-Regulatory Conflict with PDA Individuals. In this 2 1/2- hour PDANA Training, Keri will focus on how to respond to the common PDAer phenomenon of &ldquo;all day long complaining&rdquo; and shift that dynamic to &ldquo;all day long co-regulating.&rdquo; She will also talk about how to best support and co-regulate with multiple children (at the same time) when they engage in conflict with each other, in the home or classroom. &nbsp; Learn more about:-how to &ldquo;level yourself down&rdquo; in ways that prioritize honoring your own needs -how to think about and respond to conflict in ways that reduce everyone&rsquo;s stress Bio of Keri Schouten, PDA adult &amp; PDA Parent Coach:&nbsp;<div data-mesh-id="comp-m95ymt5zinlineContent" data-testid="inline-content" fr-original-style="" style="width: 100%; line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit;"><div data-mesh-id="comp-m95ymt5zinlineContent-gridContainer" data-testid="mesh-container-content" fr-original-style="" style="line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit;"><div data-testid="richTextElement" fr-original-style="" style="line-height: 1.5; box-sizing: inherit;">I&rsquo;m late diagnosed AuDhD, and self diagnosed PDA (Autistic + ADHD with a PDA profile). I&rsquo;m the parent to two neurodivergent teens, ages 17 and 20. &nbsp;Before having kids, I taught high school and college for 7 years, and earned a masters degree in English. &nbsp;About five years before my oldest was born, when I started thinking about having children of my own, I switched my professional focus from teaching upper grades to early childhood education. &nbsp;Much of my early ECE experience centered around Magda Gerber&rsquo;s RIE philosophy, one that focuses on treating young children with respect and dignity. I completed the RIE Foundations 80 hour course in 2001, along with 24 ECE credits, and worked in child care centers and as a nanny before having my own kids, when I shifting to being a stay at home mom (by far the hardest job I have ever had!). &nbsp;During that time, I maintained a steady focus on building collaborative skills within our family. I completed the P.E.T. instructor training course in 2016, when my kids were 9 and 11.After discovering I am AuDhD in 2021, I realized the field of neurodivergent parenting has been my focus all along, specifically PDA. For the past three years, I&rsquo;ve worked as a special education teacher, the past two at a private neuro-affirming therapeutic school, with a focus on working with autistic children who have a PDA profile, before transitioning to parent coaching specific to PDA this past fall. &nbsp;I&rsquo;m currently EEC certified Lead Teacher: preschool and EEC teacher: infant/toddler. &nbsp;I also continue to work 1:1 with PDA&rsquo;ers in a school setting as a consultant.&nbsp;Though my work as a teacher clarified a lot for me about working with PDA&rsquo;ers (in a nutshell, &quot;hey, this approach works beautifully for other people&#39;s kids, too, what do you know?!&quot;), I found it was the challenges of parenting over the years that helped me develop and clarify the collaborative skills specific to PDA. &nbsp;Collaborative approaches (such as Gordon&rsquo;s PET, Rosenberg&rsquo;s NVC, Gerber&rsquo;s RIE, and Ross Greene&rsquo;s CPS) have been my own personal hyperfocus for 20+ years. &nbsp; https://www.pdaparentcoaching.comhttps://www.facebook.com/share/16dvBbFW5x/?mibextid=wwXIfr </div></div></div>

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name,<p fr-original-style="box-sizing: inherit; width: 538px; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" style="box-sizing: inherit; width: 538px; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> You&#39;re in! Thanks for signing up for PDA Communication Part 2 with PDAer, Keri Schouten, on Thursday, Jan. 22nd at 6pm for a 2 1/2 hour training. Below is the Zoom login information if you want to save to your calendar now. We will send a reminder 24 hours prior.&nbsp; Should you not be able to attend live, this will be recorded and emailed to you within 1 week of the event and you&#39;ll have lifetime access.&nbsp; PDA North America is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.Topic: Co-Regulatory Conflict with PDA IndividualsTime: Jan 22, 2026 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/83356290601?pwd=d65SzbpBTWzGHl4HyLiCCT9S6Nqwb1.1 Meeting ID: 833 5629 0601Passcode: 187117 <p fr-original-style="box-sizing: inherit; width: 538px; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" style="box-sizing: inherit; width: 538px; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Roboto; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.25px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"> We&#39;ll see you there!PDA North America Team

After receiving such rave reviews from parents and PDAers alike, we've invited adult PDAer and PDA Parenting Coach, Keri Schouten, back for part 2 of her talk on PDA Communication - Co-Regulatory Conflict with PDA Individuals. In this 2 1/2- hour PDANA Training, Keri will focus on how to respond to the common PDAer phenomenon of “all day long complaining” and shift that dynamic to “all day long co-regulating.” She will also talk about how to best support and co-regulate with multiple children (at the same time) when they engage in conflict with each other, in the home or classroom.   Learn more about:-how to “level yourself down” in ways that prioritize honoring your own needs -how to think about and respond to conflict in ways that reduce everyone’s stress Bio of Keri Schouten, PDA adult &amp; PDA Parent Coach: <div><div><div>I’m late diagnosed AuDhD, and self diagnosed PDA (Autistic + ADHD with a PDA profile). I’m the parent to two neurodivergent teens, ages 17 and 20.  Before having kids, I taught high school and college for 7 years, and earned a masters degree in English.  About five years before my oldest was born, when I started thinking about having children of my own, I switched my professional focus from teaching upper grades to early childhood education.  Much of my early ECE experience centered around Magda Gerber’s RIE philosophy, one that focuses on treating young children with respect and dignity. I completed the RIE Foundations 80 hour course in 2001, along with 24 ECE credits, and worked in child care centers and as a nanny before having my own kids, when I shifting to being a stay at home mom (by far the hardest job I have ever had!).  During that time, I maintained a steady focus on building collaborative skills within our family. I completed the P.E.T. instructor training course in 2016, when my kids were 9 and 11.After discovering I am AuDhD in 2021, I realized the field of neurodivergent parenting has been my focus all along, specifically PDA. For the past three years, I’ve worked as a special education teacher, the past two at a private neuro-affirming therapeutic school, with a focus on working with autistic children who have a PDA profile, before transitioning to parent coaching specific to PDA this past fall.  I’m currently EEC certified Lead Teacher: preschool and EEC teacher: infant/toddler.  I also continue to work 1:1 with PDA’ers in a school setting as a consultant. Though my work as a teacher clarified a lot for me about working with PDA’ers (in a nutshell, "hey, this approach works beautifully for other people's kids, too, what do you know?!"), I found it was the challenges of parenting over the years that helped me develop and clarify the collaborative skills specific to PDA.  Collaborative approaches (such as Gordon’s PET, Rosenberg’s NVC, Gerber’s RIE, and Ross Greene’s CPS) have been my own personal hyperfocus for 20+ years.   https://www.pdaparentcoaching.comhttps://www.facebook.com/share/16dvBbFW5x/?mibextid=wwXIfr </div></div></div>

PDA North America

PDA Communication Part 2: Co-Regulatory Conflict with PDA Individuals

Ticket

$59