Unschooling With PDA

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A conversation with Kate Steer at Nurtured Neuro Kids, a neurodivergent family coach and education consultant. We explore her journey as a parent raising a PDA child while reflecting on how her child psychology background has influenced her approach to parenting.

Kate discusses the challenges of meeting a child’s individual needs, focusing on conscious and intentional parenting methods. We also talk about common misconceptions in neurodivergent child development and the critical role of creating supportive, understanding environments for children who are struggling, to allow them to thrive, regardless of what, if any, diagnosis the child haspodc. Kate offers valuable insights on the importance of meeting children where they are rather than forcing them into expected roles, helping parents understand the difference between managing vs controlling their child’s environment.

Kate's Instagram: @nurturedneurokids

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Rose chats to Ben, a father of three boys diagnosed with autism and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). This episode offers a heartfelt and insightful look into parenting children with PDA and the continuous process of learning and adapting, from a dad's perspective.

Ben's Instagram: @daddydinosaurpda

Ben shares his family's experiences, the challenges they face, and their journey of discovering PDA. He discusses their parenting style, including transitioning to low demand parenting, and the struggles and rewards that come with it. Ben also talks about his efforts to raise awareness for PDA through running a half marathon fundraising for the PDA Society, and the importance of community and support in their lives. He reflects on the impact of PDA on their family dynamics and the steps they've taken to protect their mental health and relationship as a couple, too.

00:00 Introduction to Ben and His Family

01:00 Discovering PDA: The Light Bulb Moment

03:43 Challenges and Misconceptions About PDA

06:33 Transition to Low Demand Parenting

08:06 Mental Health and Family Dynamics

14:04 Running for a Cause: Raising Awareness for PDA

16:48 Building a Supportive Community

18:00 Home Education Journey

26:24 Reflections and Future Vision

33:10 Advice for New Parents

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Linsey's Instagram: @unschoolingstanley

Linsey from the West Midlands discusses unschooling her three children, particularly her PDA son Stanley. She shares her motivations, challenges, and the influence of her own neurodivergence on her parenting and educational philosophy. Linsey emphasises authenticity and discusses her own personal growth as an unmasked adult, and how this has affected her own life and relationships.

Main Topics:

Unschooling, child-led education, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), neurodivergence, personal growth, authenticity, parenting challenges, emotional well-being.

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Former maths teacher turned home educator, Ruth Rinaldi, shares her insights into how to make mathematics accessible and enjoyable for all ages and abilities, even if parents don't have a lot of maths knowledge; common misconceptions and mistakes we make while approaching maths education; and specific examples and resources for parents on how to facilitate their child's interest at the appropriate level without making it into a formal lesson.

A treasure trove of an episode for those who find maths education a bit daunting!

Ruth's Instagram: @joyfulmaths_homeed

Ruth's courses & free downloads: https://stan.store/Joyfulmaths_homeed

Maths resources mentioned in the episode:

Transum || YouCubed || NRICH

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Ex-teacher and mum of two Sharon discusses her thoughts about the education system with Rose. We talk about how she unschools her PDAer alongside her other autistic son, having de-schooled herself. Reflections on the difficulties and learning curves of home education, including self-care for parents, and adapting to each child's unique needs. Exploring the family's adaptation to living and learning in a van this year, with plans for travel across Europe!

Sharon's Instagram: @learning_to_unlearn_uk

Source of the school refuser statistic referenced towards the end of the episode: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10556686/

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*Content advisory: Birth and breastfeeding are discussed in the first 5 minutes*

Rose shares the first signs of autism she saw in her baby son, and the trauma he went through that she thinks may have caused his PDA; the steps she had to take to be taken seriously on the NHS autism assessment pathway; and finally the diagnosis and support she was offered. In the second half there is also a mention of DLA and the application process for that.

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Amy shares her son's long journey to a diagnosis, getting an EHCP and EOTAS, but can her PDAer actually access the learning provided by the package?

Amy also shares her motivation to create the Parent Carer Cheerleading Squad, a community to support and uplift fellow parent carers:

Amy's Instagram: @amymrutter

Facebook: Parent Carer Cheerleading Squad group

Further reading: https://linktr.ee/amymrutter

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Rose introduces the podcast and why the concept became "unschooling with PDA". What's the difference between PDA and demand avoidance in autism and ADHD? Discussing the essence of unschooling and why Rose thinks it's the best way for her son and most other younger PDAers.

PDA Society website: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/

* Disclaimer: this podcast is for entertainment purposes only. It does not claim to be official medical advice of any kind. Please speak to your paediatrician if you need advice.*

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