A short, introductory guide to PDA for parents, extended family and professionals who are supporting a PDA child, with engaging illustrations throughout.

Including explanations of the basics of PDA and how it can present, as well as straightforward advice on how best to meet the needs of the PDA child, this is the go-to guide for anyone who wants to get a clear overview of PDA and find out how they can provide high-quality support.

Readable, down to earth and filled with real-life examples, Laura and Eliza have produced a simple guide to something which often doesn't feel simple at all. If you have a child for whom the usual rules don't seem to apply, then this book explains their apparently inexplicable behaviour. You'll end it with a better understanding of your amazing child, and a new awareness of how they may experience the world. And you'll recognise your family in the on-the-nose illustrations! -- Dr Naomi Fisher, clinical psychologist and author of When the Naughty Step Makes Things Worse
These simple guides offer clear and beautifully illustrated ways for families to understand their children (and adults) who have PDA allowing us all to think through our interactions and validating our feelings as we negotiate our relationships. The combination of humour and practical tips foster understanding and confidence with warmth and compassion. -- Anita Grant Chair of Play England

Laura Kerbey is the co-founder of PAST (Positive Assessments Support and Training) Kite Therapeutic Learning. She has been working with autistic children and young people for over 20 years and provides training to ensure that the needs of autistic and PDA learners are fully met.


Eliza Fricker is an illustrator and author whose deceptively simple illustrations give way to endearingly perceptive and detailed observations, which are often irreverently humorous and highly emotional. Eliza is the Sunday Times' bestselling author of The Family Experience of PDA and Can't Not Won't.
Together, Laura and Eliza published The Educator's Experience of Pathological Demand Avoidance with JKP (April 2023).