Supporting a Child With Pathological Demand Avoidance

Aniesa chats with Jodie Isitt, founder of The Nurture Programme, offering bespoke training and support for teachers, carers, and parents of children with additional needs. Jodie has three autistic children and was diagnosed autistic during the pandemic lockdown. In today’s episode, she discusses the obstacles of being a parent of a child with PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) and how she works to help others with neurodivergent children.
KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• The Nurture Programme started during the pandemic lockdown to provide online content and support for isolated parents.
• Jodie realised she was Autistic after talking to other neurodivergent adults during the lockdown.
• As an adult with Autism, Jodie feels privileged to share her experiences as a neurodivergent person.
• Jodie wrote short stories to indirectly teach her daughter's school about her PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance).
• Being the parents of a neurodivergent child means having to dismiss everything you know about parenting.

BEST MOMENTS
“I feel like the little things in the book, if they were implemented in everyday society, the little things that cost no pounds, no pennies, we would have so many happy neurodivergent children in schools.”
“No professional likes a parent telling them what they think it might be. And I found that from very early on, I used to plant seeds so I could get them to tell me what’s going on.”
CONTACT METHOD
www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/           
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/    
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon
ABOUT THE HOST
Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 
Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents. 

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