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:email info@pdanorthamerica.org for financial assistance

General Admission

LXCL:Those who wish to get CE credits must attend live&nbsp;

CE's for Social Workers

Supporting PDA clients requires more than traditional therapeutic tools&mdash;it requires a completely different lens. PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance / Persistent Drive for Autonomy) is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and missed entirely in clinical settings. As a result, PDA individuals frequently navigate therapy feeling unseen, mislabeled, or unsupported. Join PDA North America&#39;s Founder &amp; Executive Director, Diane Gould, LCSW gives clinicians a grounded, neuro-affirming foundation for understanding PDA and the wider neurodivergent experience&mdash;so therapy can finally feel safe, collaborative, and effective for the people who need it most. Designed for professionals who want to expand their understanding (not those already specializing in neurodiversity), this workshop helps therapists move beyond outdated, deficit-based ideas and toward accurate, compassionate, and autonomy-honoring support.Through real-world examples, mindset reframes, and voices from practicing therapists, you&rsquo;ll learn what actually works for PDA clients&mdash;and why. What You&rsquo;ll Learn<ul data-end="1757" data-start="1274" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li data-end="1359" data-start="1274" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">How to identify and move past outdated historical descriptions of autistic people</li><li data-end="1427" data-start="1360" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">The core characteristics of PDA and how they show up in therapy</li><li data-end="1577" data-start="1428" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">The complex challenges PDA individuals face&mdash;not as &ldquo;behaviors to fix,&rdquo; but as nervous-system responses to overwhelm, threat, and loss of autonomy</li><li data-end="1652" data-start="1578" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">How to reframe behavior through a trauma-informed, neuro-affirming lens</li><li data-end="1757" data-start="1653" fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Approaches that help PDA clients feel safe, connected, and empowered in the therapeutic relationship</li></ul>CE&#39;s available for Social Workers! Those who wish to get CE credits must attend live.This program is Approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval # 886922618-9225) for 3 continuing education contact hours.&nbsp; The following states do not accept National CE Approval Programs and require individual program/provider application processes: New York, West Virginia The Following Board does not have Continuing Education Requirements: Puerto Rico BioDiane Gould 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 (pathological demand avoidance/persistent drive for autonomy) families. She co-authored the book Navigating PDA in America with Ruth Fidler which was published in June 2024. In April 2024, Diane was diagnosed as autistic. Diane has a private practice in the suburbs of Chicago, where she serves neurodivergent children, adults and their families. Over the last 40 plus years, she has worked for both private agencies and school systems. Diane has always been fascinated by human behavior and has worked to better understand and support individuals with distressed behavior over the years. She currently focuses her practice on providing consultation and training. She works primarily with parents and regularly attends school meetings with them. Diane loves to train educators and therapists so they can better serve their students and clients. It was the understanding of behavior, autism and the supportive approach in the PDA literature that first drew her to learn more about PDA. And learning about PDA, led her to begin the new PDA movement in North America. Diane formed PDA North America at the first American PDA conference in March 2020. She is making it part of her life&rsquo;s mission to gain more awareness and understanding of PDA in North America through this non-profit organization.

<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, We are truly grateful for your registration for our event, &quot;PDA Training for Therapists: Creating Effective Mental Health Practices for PDA Individuals.&quot; Your commitment to expanding your understanding in this vital area is heartening. Below is the Zoom information:&nbsp; Topic: PDA Training for TherapistsTime: Feb 6, 2026 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/85214551405?pwd=SQDMbpAwOsQ6Gxrs6diEMBjF2PAzpc.1 View meeting insights with Zoom AI Companionhttps://us02web.zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=c4f51348-81bf-45de-85c4-226cd881a66e Meeting ID: 852 1455 1405Passcode: 561239 --- One tap mobile+19292056099,,85214551405# US (New York)+13017158592,,85214551405# US (Washington DC) Warm regards, The PDA North America Team

Supporting PDA clients requires more than traditional therapeutic tools—it requires a completely different lens. PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance / Persistent Drive for Autonomy) is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and missed entirely in clinical settings. As a result, PDA individuals frequently navigate therapy feeling unseen, mislabeled, or unsupported. Join PDA North America's Founder &amp; Executive Director, Diane Gould, LCSW gives clinicians a grounded, neuro-affirming foundation for understanding PDA and the wider neurodivergent experience—so therapy can finally feel safe, collaborative, and effective for the people who need it most. Designed for professionals who want to expand their understanding (not those already specializing in neurodiversity), this workshop helps therapists move beyond outdated, deficit-based ideas and toward accurate, compassionate, and autonomy-honoring support.Through real-world examples, mindset reframes, and voices from practicing therapists, you’ll learn what actually works for PDA clients—and why. What You’ll Learn<ul><li>How to identify and move past outdated historical descriptions of autistic people</li><li>The core characteristics of PDA and how they show up in therapy</li><li>The complex challenges PDA individuals face—not as “behaviors to fix,” but as nervous-system responses to overwhelm, threat, and loss of autonomy</li><li>How to reframe behavior through a trauma-informed, neuro-affirming lens</li><li>Approaches that help PDA clients feel safe, connected, and empowered in the therapeutic relationship</li></ul>CE's available for Social Workers! Those who wish to get CE credits must attend live.This program is Approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval # 886922618-9225) for 3 continuing education contact hours.  The following states do not accept National CE Approval Programs and require individual program/provider application processes: New York, West Virginia The Following Board does not have Continuing Education Requirements: Puerto Rico BioDiane Gould 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 (pathological demand avoidance/persistent drive for autonomy) families. She co-authored the book Navigating PDA in America with Ruth Fidler which was published in June 2024. In April 2024, Diane was diagnosed as autistic. Diane has a private practice in the suburbs of Chicago, where she serves neurodivergent children, adults and their families. Over the last 40 plus years, she has worked for both private agencies and school systems. Diane has always been fascinated by human behavior and has worked to better understand and support individuals with distressed behavior over the years. She currently focuses her practice on providing consultation and training. She works primarily with parents and regularly attends school meetings with them. Diane loves to train educators and therapists so they can better serve their students and clients. It was the understanding of behavior, autism and the supportive approach in the PDA literature that first drew her to learn more about PDA. And learning about PDA, led her to begin the new PDA movement in North America. Diane formed PDA North America at the first American PDA conference in March 2020. She is making it part of her life’s mission to gain more awareness and understanding of PDA in North America through this non-profit organization.

PDA North America

PDA Training for Therapists: Creating Effective Mental Health Practices for PDA individuals (CEs available!)

General Admission

$125

CE's for Social Workers

$15