A green chalkboard with text about private school options for PDAERS is centered in the foreground, set against a background with "BACK TO SCHOOL... OR NOT!" text.

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 please contact: info@pdanorthamerica.org

General Admission

Ready to rethink what learning can look like for neurodivergent children? Join Dr. Marie Hooper, PDA North America board member and neurodivergent Clinical Psychologist; Lucy Pritzker, founder of Elm Street Placements; Ashley Soifer, cofounder of the National Microschooling Center; and Annie Holub, founder of Desert Dragon Learning Community, for a dynamic, neuroaffirming webinar on supporting PDA and other neurodivergent learners in nontraditional educational settings. This powerhouse panel brings together leading voices in clinical psychology, educational consulting, and innovative school design. Dr. Hooper&rsquo;s work centers on autonomy-driven, trauma-assumed support for autistic and PDA-identified youth; Lucy Pritzker offers decades of experience helping families navigate complex educational and therapeutic placements; Ashley Soifer brings national leadership in the microschooling movement; and Annie Holub offers the perspective of an educator and founder building a learning community specifically for neurodivergent adolescents. Together, they&rsquo;ll share transformative insights on creating flexible, relationship-centered environments that honor autonomy, reduce demand-based stress, and unlock authentic engagement. Grounded in neurodiversity-affirming practices, this conversation will challenge traditional models of schooling and highlight what becomes possible when we design with, not against, neurodivergent learners. Whether you&#39;re an educator, parent, or school leader, you&rsquo;ll leave with practical strategies, fresh perspective, and real inspiration for reimagining education. ✨ Come explore how microschools and alternative models are creating spaces where every child is understood, supported, and empowered. Bios Dr. Marie Hooper is an autistic and ADHD (AuDHD) Clinical Psychologist in supervised practice, parent of two, and the Founder and Director of Flourish Health Services, a neurodiversity-affirming interdisciplinary private practice in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She completed her Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. in Clinical Developmental Psychology at York University, where she now teaches as a Contract Professor at the Glendon Campus. Her clinical work centres on comprehensive assessment and support for autistic girls, women, AFAB and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, and individuals with high-masking profiles, twice-exceptionality, and PDA.<div dir="ltr" fr-original-style='box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(48, 61, 59); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; 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: border-box; color: rgb(48, 61, 59); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; 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; line-height: 1.5;'> </div>She is known for trauma-assumed, autonomy-centered, and gender-affirming approaches across home, school, and clinical settings. Marie co-created Club Au-Some, an affirming social&ndash;emotional group series for autistic girls and neurodivergent AFAB and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, and co-developed Autism Reframe, an educational program that trains clinicians to adapt their therapies and assessments using a strengths-based, neuroaffirming approach informed by lived experience. She is also leading the development of North America&rsquo;s first school exclusively for autistic girls, and her work across clinical, educational, and community-based settings is dedicated to increasing recognition of PDA and ensuring that autonomy-driven individuals are understood, respected, and supported without fear or pressure.Website: https://www.flourishhealthservices.ca/ Lucy Pritzker is the founder of Elm Street Placements, Inc. Her decades of experience guiding families through academic and residential treatment decisions bring unparalleled expertise to her book, Crisis Interrupted: A Parents&#39; Guide to Residential Placement for Children, Teens, and Young Adults. &nbsp;Lucy travels extensively throughout the United States and abroad to visit, assess, and cultivate deep knowledge of schools and treatment programs. She holds a Master&rsquo;s degree in Mental Health Counseling and has more than 30 years of experience working across educational, clinical, and therapeutic environments. Lucy is a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultant Association (IECA), serves on the IECA Foundation Board, and sits on the Board of Trustees at Hampshire Country School. Lucy has been officially recognized by IBCCES as a Certified Autism Specialist&trade;&mdash;a meaningful step in Elm Street&rsquo;s ongoing commitment to ensuring that autistic individuals receive thoughtful, respectful, and informed support across educational, clinical, and residential settings. Outside of her professional work, Lucy enjoys creating art in her stained-glass studio, gardening, and caring for her donkeys, horses, and goats on her farm. She also enjoys time on the sailboat with her husband and their three adult children. Website: <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.elmstreetplacements.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">https://www.elmstreetplacements.com/</a> Ashley Soifer is the Chief Innovation Officer of the National Microschooling Center, where she leads strategic growth, the development of new programs and outreach. Ashley guides the Center&rsquo;s movement-building work. Prior to her role at the Center, Ashley served as the Chief of Staff at Nevada Action for School Options. In this role, Ashley played a critical role in designing, building and operating the Southern Nevada Urban Micro Academy, the first of its kind public-private partnership with the City of North Las Vegas. The microschool, created to combat pandemic learning loss, has received substantial national and local attention for its powerful track record of academic growth and innovation. Born and raised in Southern Nevada, Ashley is incredibly proud of, and grateful for, the diverse microschooling ecosystem in the greater Las Vegas valley. Before working in education, Ashley worked in the Las Vegas independent film community as an actor, casting director and producer. Ashley is the proud mother of three talented children, all currently microschooling. Ashley, her husband Don, and their three children enjoy traveling, playing games and learning together. Website: <a fr-original-style="" href="https://microschoolingcenter.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">https://microschoolingcenter.org</a> Annie Holub has been teaching in Tucson since 2003. From 2013 to 2023, she taught English at City High School in downtown Tucson, and from 2010 to 2013, she taught Writing and Literature at Esperero Canyon Middle School. She currently teaches online for Pima Community College and is the founder of Desert Dragon Learning Community.Even within a progressive, alternative setting like City High, Annie recognized the need for a more responsive approach to education&mdash;one that better serves students who benefit from flexibility, autonomy, and individualized learning structures. This perspective is further shaped by her personal experience as the parent of a child with ADHD and autism with a PDA profile, deepening her understanding of the importance of truly personalized learning environments.Annie was a member of the 2024 ASU Prep Microschool Fellowship and is currently part of the VELA Founders Network and the KaiPod Founders Network. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Arizona State University. Desert Dragon Learning Community is a member of the National Microschooling Center.She is committed to ensuring that Desert Dragon Learning Community provides a safe, flexible, and supportive environment for neurodivergent adolescents, including those with ASD, ADHD, PDA, sensory challenges, and other learning differences. Desert Dragon Learning Community is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Website:<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.desertdragonlearning.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">&nbsp;https://www.desertdragonlearning.org/</a>

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, You&#39;re in! Thanks for signing up for PDAers in Private Schools: From Residential to Microschools on August 27th at 7PM (CST).<p dir="ltr" fr-original-style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" style="line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0pt 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> PDAers in Private Schools: From Residential to Microschools<br style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit;" id="isPasted" fr-original-style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Time: Aug 27, 2026 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)<br style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Join Zoom Meeting<br style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><a fr-original-style="" href="https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83323103953?pwd=dJgS4Zg6frb7ZL8A0RlFKbmAoQVfKq.1" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: initial; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83323103953?pwd=dJgS4Zg6frb7ZL8A0RlFKbmAoQVfKq.1<br style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"></a><br style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Meeting ID: 833 2310 3953<br style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: &quot;Google Sans Text&quot;, &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(233, 238, 246); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Passcode: 834934<p dir="ltr" fr-original-style="line-height:1.7999999999999998;background-color:#ffffff;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" style="line-height: 1.8; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0pt 0px; width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Warmly,The PDA North America Team

Ready to rethink what learning can look like for neurodivergent children? Join Dr. Marie Hooper, PDA North America board member and neurodivergent Clinical Psychologist; Lucy Pritzker, founder of Elm Street Placements; Ashley Soifer, cofounder of the National Microschooling Center; and Annie Holub, founder of Desert Dragon Learning Community, for a dynamic, neuroaffirming webinar on supporting PDA and other neurodivergent learners in nontraditional educational settings. This powerhouse panel brings together leading voices in clinical psychology, educational consulting, and innovative school design. Dr. Hooper’s work centers on autonomy-driven, trauma-assumed support for autistic and PDA-identified youth; Lucy Pritzker offers decades of experience helping families navigate complex educational and therapeutic placements; Ashley Soifer brings national leadership in the microschooling movement; and Annie Holub offers the perspective of an educator and founder building a learning community specifically for neurodivergent adolescents. Together, they’ll share transformative insights on creating flexible, relationship-centered environments that honor autonomy, reduce demand-based stress, and unlock authentic engagement. Grounded in neurodiversity-affirming practices, this conversation will challenge traditional models of schooling and highlight what becomes possible when we design with, not against, neurodivergent learners. Whether you're an educator, parent, or school leader, you’ll leave with practical strategies, fresh perspective, and real inspiration for reimagining education. ✨ Come explore how microschools and alternative models are creating spaces where every child is understood, supported, and empowered. Bios Dr. Marie Hooper is an autistic and ADHD (AuDHD) Clinical Psychologist in supervised practice, parent of two, and the Founder and Director of Flourish Health Services, a neurodiversity-affirming interdisciplinary private practice in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She completed her Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. in Clinical Developmental Psychology at York University, where she now teaches as a Contract Professor at the Glendon Campus. Her clinical work centres on comprehensive assessment and support for autistic girls, women, AFAB and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, and individuals with high-masking profiles, twice-exceptionality, and PDA.<div> </div>She is known for trauma-assumed, autonomy-centered, and gender-affirming approaches across home, school, and clinical settings. Marie co-created Club Au-Some, an affirming social–emotional group series for autistic girls and neurodivergent AFAB and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, and co-developed Autism Reframe, an educational program that trains clinicians to adapt their therapies and assessments using a strengths-based, neuroaffirming approach informed by lived experience. She is also leading the development of North America’s first school exclusively for autistic girls, and her work across clinical, educational, and community-based settings is dedicated to increasing recognition of PDA and ensuring that autonomy-driven individuals are understood, respected, and supported without fear or pressure.Website: https://www.flourishhealthservices.ca/ Lucy Pritzker is the founder of Elm Street Placements, Inc. Her decades of experience guiding families through academic and residential treatment decisions bring unparalleled expertise to her book, Crisis Interrupted: A Parents' Guide to Residential Placement for Children, Teens, and Young Adults.  Lucy travels extensively throughout the United States and abroad to visit, assess, and cultivate deep knowledge of schools and treatment programs. She holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and has more than 30 years of experience working across educational, clinical, and therapeutic environments. Lucy is a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultant Association (IECA), serves on the IECA Foundation Board, and sits on the Board of Trustees at Hampshire Country School. Lucy has been officially recognized by IBCCES as a Certified Autism Specialist™—a meaningful step in Elm Street’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that autistic individuals receive thoughtful, respectful, and informed support across educational, clinical, and residential settings. Outside of her professional work, Lucy enjoys creating art in her stained-glass studio, gardening, and caring for her donkeys, horses, and goats on her farm. She also enjoys time on the sailboat with her husband and their three adult children. Website: <a href="https://www.elmstreetplacements.com/" target="_blank">https://www.elmstreetplacements.com/</a> Ashley Soifer is the Chief Innovation Officer of the National Microschooling Center, where she leads strategic growth, the development of new programs and outreach. Ashley guides the Center’s movement-building work. Prior to her role at the Center, Ashley served as the Chief of Staff at Nevada Action for School Options. In this role, Ashley played a critical role in designing, building and operating the Southern Nevada Urban Micro Academy, the first of its kind public-private partnership with the City of North Las Vegas. The microschool, created to combat pandemic learning loss, has received substantial national and local attention for its powerful track record of academic growth and innovation. Born and raised in Southern Nevada, Ashley is incredibly proud of, and grateful for, the diverse microschooling ecosystem in the greater Las Vegas valley. Before working in education, Ashley worked in the Las Vegas independent film community as an actor, casting director and producer. Ashley is the proud mother of three talented children, all currently microschooling. Ashley, her husband Don, and their three children enjoy traveling, playing games and learning together. Website: <a href="https://microschoolingcenter.org" target="_blank">https://microschoolingcenter.org</a> Annie Holub has been teaching in Tucson since 2003. From 2013 to 2023, she taught English at City High School in downtown Tucson, and from 2010 to 2013, she taught Writing and Literature at Esperero Canyon Middle School. She currently teaches online for Pima Community College and is the founder of Desert Dragon Learning Community.Even within a progressive, alternative setting like City High, Annie recognized the need for a more responsive approach to education—one that better serves students who benefit from flexibility, autonomy, and individualized learning structures. This perspective is further shaped by her personal experience as the parent of a child with ADHD and autism with a PDA profile, deepening her understanding of the importance of truly personalized learning environments.Annie was a member of the 2024 ASU Prep Microschool Fellowship and is currently part of the VELA Founders Network and the KaiPod Founders Network. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Arizona State University. Desert Dragon Learning Community is a member of the National Microschooling Center.She is committed to ensuring that Desert Dragon Learning Community provides a safe, flexible, and supportive environment for neurodivergent adolescents, including those with ASD, ADHD, PDA, sensory challenges, and other learning differences. Desert Dragon Learning Community is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Website:<a href="https://www.desertdragonlearning.org/" target="_blank"> https://www.desertdragonlearning.org/</a>

PDA North America

PDAers in Private Schools: From Residential to Microschools

General Admission

$59

Add a donation for PDA North America