Supporting awareness and understanding of autistic children and young people with a Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile across the UK.
England, United Kingdom
Joined February 2026
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The Govt says it will act.
Now let’s make sure it does.
A Parliamentary debate means scrutiny, accountability and action.
Help support this petition. Because too many children are being failed in the worst way.
@andyburnham @LucyMPowell #LabourUK
petition.parliament.uk/petit…
So @tombennett71 can publicly question someone’s post, but restrict who can respond to his own?
That’s an interesting approach.
This kind of sloppy non-argument is common. But it demonstrates an obvious naivety and unfamiliarity with actual classrooms.
Nobody is ‘aiming’ to suspend or exclude. It’s a last resort. But famously last resorts are used when nothing else is working.
And the bottom line is that schools don’t want to suspend- they want every student there, learning together. But if a student deliberately ruins the safety, dignity, or education of others, then we have a duty to the 25 other kids who aren’t calling the teacher an idiot, or disturbing the peace.
On average, students lose an hour per day because of disruption. That’s ONE YEAR per cohort. An entire year of your school life, taken from you because of the chaotic actions of others. Not responding to that is an abdication of our duty of care, and the right to an education.
People who post stuff like this are terrific at not explaining what they would do instead, when other options have been tried. Because they will never have to live with the consequences of their piety.
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I wonder how many adults diagnosed ADHD went through the process to better understand themselves, their strengths and lifelong challenges?
Not every diagnosis is about accessing services, benefits or support. Sometimes understanding yourself is reason enough.
I can’t tell you how many people in my social circle have recently been diagnosed with ADHD.
And I can’t stress enough how they are *completely normal, functional people*.
The rich tapestry of life doesn’t mean that people who are mildly different from whatever normal is supposed to be must suddenly now be treated as if they have mental retardation.
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When you view children through a behavioural lens, you risk missing the distress beneath the behaviour.
Increasingly seeing Pathological Demand Avoidance being used in school discourse. This article by the excellent @Docstockk nails my issues with it.
1. It has no diagnostic basis. It’s colloquial, not clinical, but it *sounds* clinical.
2. Its unfalsifiable. How do you know if someone doesn’t have it?
3. It can easily lead into endlessly negotiating with children when we should be directing and insisting- and inevitably it leads to a weakening of consequences and responsibility.
If a child says, ‘I won’t’, don’t reach for a label
thetimes.com/article/a13b514…
Rather fitting that @tombennett71 himself stated in a September Tes interview: “I think we should always be careful of looking at raw data and try to be much more mindful to understand what’s going on underneath it and what the data actually represents.”
@tombennett71 Genuine question, particularly given the Govt has said PDA will be included within its National Inclusion Standards:
How do you see autistic children with a PDA profile fitting within behaviour models when the behaviour model itself can increase distress?
I’d be interested to see this broken down by SEND. Falling overall exclusions don’t necessarily show that a behaviour model works for every child. If autistic PDA distress or overwhelm is interpreted as defiance, some pupils may be excluded because the model itself is a poor fit.
Another academy chain known for its high standards and robust behaviour model is Ark Academies. So I checked to see how their exclusions compared against national averages. Lo and behold, they too started higher, then dropped below the average.
This builds on my earlier hypothesis that chains with clear behaviour models, using consequences and structured expectations, often start with higher rates, that then decline.
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If exclusions should “reflect the need to use them”, how should we interpret the disproportionate exclusion of SEND pupils? For a PDA child, defiance may actually be overwhelm, distress or a threat response. Are we excluding children for distress mistaken as behaviour?
Nb: exclusion rates higher than national average isn’t always a good thing/ bad thing. Rates should reflect the need to use them, and some schools have to use this mechanism much more frequently than others.
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We cannot improve attendance without first improving LA decision making and accountability. When children’s needs are minimised, provision delayed and unsuitable placements pursued, absence can be the consequence of system failure. That deserves the same scrutiny as attendance.
Across the country, young people tell me they want to work. But to solve the NEETs crisis we need to tackle attendance.
Thanks Alan Milburn + team for the chance to share what I’m hearing in my Big Future survey and tour incl a special visit to Anfield.
open.substack.com/pub/onemil…
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The Govt says it will act.
Now let’s make sure it does.
A Parliamentary debate means scrutiny, accountability and action.
Help support this petition. Because too many children are being failed in the worst way.
@andyburnham @LucyMPowell #LabourUK
petition.parliament.uk/petit…
The Govt has responded to this petition to include autistic children with a PDA profile in National Inclusion Standards.
We now need confidence those commitments will be delivered.
We cannot accept more harm to
Children.
petition.parliament.uk/petit…
#petitions #send #education
National standards without accountability are just words.
Families need confidence that decisions will improve, not simply promises that they might.
Support the petition.
#SEND #petitions
@LucyMPowell @andyburnham @educationgovuk
petition.parliament.uk/petit…
Congratulations @LucyMPowell
The Govt has already committed to including autistic children with a PDA profile in National Inclusion Standards.
We now need confidence those commitments will be delivered.
We cannot accept more children being harmed.
petition.parliament.uk/petit…
Would you trust a Govt that removes parents legal right to challenge unlawful SEND decisions? Around 95% of SEND tribunal rulings go against LA’s If councils are losing at that rate, why remove parents right to hold them to account instead of fixing the decisions? @andyburnham
For children with a PDA profile, this creates an important conversation. The challenge isn’t whether adaptations should happen it I s whether schools understand what the barrier actually is.
#Inclusionmatters #educationforall #Pathologicaldemandavoidance
@educationgovuk
The EEF has produced a toolkit to help schools with inclusive teaching, which warns against 'ineffective' adaptations
tes.com/magazine/news/genera…
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Children don’t experience policy. They experience the consequences when systems fail to identify their needs. This couldn’t be more true for children with a PDA profile. Excluded because PDA is “not recognised”.
#PDA #inclusionmatters
Does our education system deliver equal educational opportunity?
Help this UK Parliament petition reach 100,000 signatures so it can be considered for a parliamentary debate.
🔗 petition.parliament.uk/petit…
@ChildrensComm @CommonsEd @educationgovuk
#SEND #Education #PDA
@bphillipsonMP How will the National Inclusion Standards help ensure autistic children with a PDA profile receive appropriate access to education regardless of postcode?
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Over 1 million children now have an active referral to mental health services. We cannot separate children’s mental health from unmet SEND needs. Distress escalates when needs go unmet. Earlier understanding isn’t optional, it’s preventative. #SEND
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The Government has confirmed that autistic children with a PDA profile will be included in the National Inclusion Standards.
This is welcome.
But recognition alone does not protect children.
#PDA #SEND #NationalInclusionStandards
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Many PDA children face a double barrier:
• Their needs are not accurately recognised.
• Even when identified, access to suitable provision remains difficult because the support required often extends beyond what schools can reasonably accommodate.
#PDA #SENDReform
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PDA families deserve to be understood, supported and heard.
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION:
To introduce national support standards for autistic children with a PDA profile.
🔗 petition.parliament.uk/petit…
🚨 16,000+ people have signed.
Help us reach 100,000 signatures for a Parliamentary debate on better support for autistic children with a PDA profile and their families.
Every signature and share counts.
Sign here ⬇️
petition.parliament.uk/petit…
#PDA #Autism #SEND #PDAAwareness