Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA) is a developmental disorder that is being increasingly recognised as part of the autism spectrum. The main characteristic is a continued resistance to the ordinary demands of life through strategies of social manipulation, which originates from an anxiety-driven need to be in control. This straightforward guide is written collaboratively by professionals and parents to give a complete overview of PDA. Starting with an exploration into the syndrome, it goes on to answer the immediate questions triggered when a child is first diagnosed, and uses case examples throughout to illustrate the impact of the condition on different areas of the child's life. Early intervention options and workable strategies for managing PDA positively will make day-to-day life easier for the child, their family and peers. New problems faced in the teenage years and how to assist a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood are also tackled. The book concludes with a valuable resources list. Full of helpful guidance and support, this user-friendly introductory handbook is essential reading for families, carers and anyone who knows a child with PDA.

An updated edition of the Sunday Times bestseller.Your Child Is Not Broken is THE book for parents who need permission to do things differently.An unapologetic, deeply moving manual for parents of neurodivergent children from Heidi Mavir, a late-identified, neurodivergent adult and parent to an autistic/ADHD teenager.This updated edition includes information on Pathological Demand Avoidance, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, an interview with Heidi's son Theo and more.Follow Heidi's irreverent and brutally honest story of her fight to be seen, heard and supported, while swimming against a tide of parent blame, ableist stereotypes and the weight of other people’s opinions.Your Child Is Not Broken is a call to arms for parents and carers of autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent children. It is the book that no one has dared to write but every parent needs to read. Heidi’s hilarious anecdotes and heartbreaking storytelling offer validation, comfort, reassurance and wisdom to parents who need it the most.

A groundbreaking guide to raising responsible, capable, happy kids Based on the latest research on brain development and extensive clinical experience with parents, Dr. Laura Markham’s approach is as simple as it is effective. Her message: Fostering emotional connection with your child creates real and lasting change. When you have that vital connection, you don’t need to threaten, nag, plead, bribe—or even punish. This remarkable guide will help parents better understand their own emotions—and get them in check—so they can parent with healthy limits, empathy, and clear communication to raise a self-disciplined child. Step-by-step examples give solutions and kid-tested phrasing for parents of toddlers right through the elementary years. If you’re tired of power struggles, tantrums, and searching for the right “consequence,” look no further. You’re about to discover the practical tools you need to transform your parenting in a positive, proven way.

A hilarious and reassuring gift for every mom: because we’re all doing the best we can, and the natural world is filled with moms worse than you!A mom giraffe is pretty nice until the fetus drops.She’ll birth a newborn baby calf, then kick him ’til he walks.  Whenever you feel guilty that you haven’t cleaned the house:Sexton beetles raise their kids in a decomposing mouse.   A koala mom will feed her kids her own poop. Yes, poop. Panda moms will abandon one twin because raising two is, well, just too much. And every now and then a cuddly little hamster mom will —yup— eat her newborn pups. These and other true facts from the animal kingdom offer a hilarious reality check on what constitutes “good parenting.” So, human mother, time to stop worrying about the job you're doing —because you’re a great mom.

This essential guide for working with PDA pupils outlines effective and practical ways that teachers and school staff can support these pupils, by endorsing a child-led approach to learning and assessment. Beginning with an introduction to PDA and how it can affect the education experience, it is then followed by thoughtful, useful strategies school staff can implement to build a collaborative relationship with pupils and help them to thrive in the school environment. The activities presented aim to make children more comfortable and at ease, and therefore better able to learn. It covers key issues for children with PDA, such as sensory issues, preferred language and phrasing of demands, social skills, and recognising distressed behaviour. The chapter summaries and simple activities listed throughout make this a useful tool for busy teaching staff working with PDA pupils.

In this warmly supportive book, Dr. Stanley Greenspan offers a set of guiding principles to help parents of children-from preschoolers to teenagers-so that they feel secure in their homes, their schools, and in their community at large. He also illuminates the often subtle shifts in children's behavior that signal reaction to current stress and fears and gives parents concrete suggestions to help children handle their anxieties. The Secure Child will help families everywhere move toward the common goal of a more stable and secure future.

Deep inside everyone, a red beast lies sleeping. When it is asleep, the red beast is quite small, but when it wakes up, it begins to grow and grow. This is the story of a red beast that was awakened. Rufus is in the school playground when his friend John kicks a ball that hit him in the stomach, and wakes up the sleeping red beast: `I hate you - I'm gonna get you!'. The red beast doesn't hear the teacher asking if he's okay. It doesn't see that John is sorry - how can Rufus tame the red beast? This vibrant fully illustrated children's storybook is written for children aged 5+, and is an accessible, fun way to talk about anger, with useful tips about how to 'tame the red beast' and guidance for parents on how anger affects children with Asperger's Syndrome.

In this positive, gentle and PDA-friendly guide for young children, PDA is explained by a playful Panda who has PDA and is very proud of it. The Panda is full of talents and strengths, but finds it very hard to do what others want. In fact, the Panda has become great at climbing trees and bamboo, and hiding in caves to escape demands! The Panda addresses the challenges and struggles of PDA honestly, but can also thrive and live a happy life in the right environment, when supported by others.

"As neurodivergent individuals, we're likely to experience different types of distress from living in a society that isn't designed for our differences. It isn't just emotional distress, but also sensory distress that we can experience, and one way we can learn to manage our distress is through Dialectial Behavioral Therapy skills. However, DBT skills aren't always accessible, straight-forward or neurodivergent friendly. That's why this workbook of DBT skills has been reframed to be to be neurodivergent affirming while incorporating sensory strategies, managing meltdowns and more. Written and designed by an autistic ADHDer, you can learn skills and tools using the five sections: everyday well-being, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, sensory needs."--

Now in a revised and updated 6th edition, the groundbreaking, research-based approach to understanding and parenting children who frequently exhibit severe fits of temper and other challenging behaviors, from a distinguished clinician and pioneer in the field.What's an explosive child? A child who responds to routine problems with extreme frustration--crying, screaming, swearing, kicking, hitting, biting, spitting, destroying property, and worse. A child whose frequent, severe outbursts leave his or her parents feeling frustrated, scared, worried, and desperate for help. Most of these parents have tried everything-reasoning, explaining, punishing, sticker charts, therapy, medication--but to no avail. They can't figure out why their child acts the way he or she does; they wonder why the strategies that work for other kids don't work for theirs; and they don't know what to do instead.Dr. Ross Greene, a distinguished clinician and pioneer in the treatment of kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges, has worked with thousands of explosive children, and he has good news: these kids aren't attention-seeking, manipulative, or unmotivated, and their parents aren't passive, permissive pushovers. Rather, explosive kids are lacking some crucial skills in the domains of flexibility/adaptability, frustration tolerance, and problem solving, and they require a different approach to parenting. Throughout this compassionate, insightful, and practical book, Dr. Greene provides a new conceptual framework for understanding their difficulties, based on research in the neurosciences. He explains why traditional parenting and treatment often don't work with these children, and he describes what to do instead. Instead of relying on rewarding and punishing, Dr. Greene's Collaborative Problem Solving model promotes working with explosive children to solve the problems that precipitate explosive episodes, and teaching these kids the skills they lack.

Eliza Fricker gets it. Describing her perfectly imperfect experience of raising a PDA child, with societal judgements and internal pressures, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, resentful and alone. This book's comedic illustrations explain these challenging situations and feelings in a way that words simply cannot, will bring some much-needed levity back into PDA parenting. Humorous anecdotes with a compassionate tone remind parents that they are not alone, and they're doing a great job. If children are safe, happy, and you leave the house on time, who cares about some smelly socks? A light-hearted and digestible guide to being a PDA parent covering everything from tolerance levels, relationships and meltdowns to collaboration, flexibility, and self care to dip in and out as your schedule allows to help get to grips with this complex condition. This book is an essential read for any parent with a PDA child, to help better understand your child, build support systems and carve out some essential self care time guilt free.

I realised EVERYTHING I was doing was wrong. I needed to learn. I needed to change. During Laura Kerbey's time teaching autistic children, she had a sudden realisation that those with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) are children like no other! None of her tried and tested autism strategies would work to help them focus or learn and most of her time was spent wondering, what am I doing wrong? If you feel the same, this short, easy-to-read guide is here to teach you everything you need to know from one educator to another. With an introduction to what PDA is followed by PDA tailored advice on how to connect with your student and create an autonomous, spontaneous environment that is personalised for you both, this guide is here to ensure that you and your PDA student thrive! Illustrated by the popular Eliza Fricker and packed with entertaining anecdotes (including one about Jabba the Hut's poo), this go-to-guide contains everything you need to start implementing PDA friendly learning to help you connect with your student and help them make the most of their learning experience.

Shamlal the Camel finds it almost impossible to do all the normal, everyday things that the other camels do. Her first word was 'NO ' and this is still the word she repeats the most through every day.Luckily, Shamlal's parents take her to a psychologist who explains that she has PDA, and gives her tips for how to live and learn with the syndrome.This simple, illustrated storybook will help children aged 7-11 with PDA to recognise its features, and develop tools to support them. A helpful introduction for parents and carers explains how it feels to live with the panic attacks and general anxiety that are caused by living with PDA, and the appendices at the back provide useful strategies to be adopted at school and at home.

Silence and stillness does have a magic to it. It doesn't matter where you find it - in your home, your workplace or your classroom. However in our fast-paced world it is getting harder and harder to find. In this book, Maggie Dent explores the cognitive and emotional benefits of silence and stillness, demonstrating how crucial it is for children as well as adults, and details methods for creating it in your home or classroom.

‘Pretty Darn Awesome’ is a story about a little boy with Pathological Demand Avoidance - a not so well known profile of the autistic spectrum. It looks at his daily struggles but more importantly his amazing strengths. A useful introduction to PDA and a way to share it and explain it positively to children, siblings, family members, teachers and classmates.

Revised and updated fourth edition of RAISING BOYS to coincide with the release of author's new parenting book, STEVE BIDDULPH'S RAISING GIRLS Few books have stayed in the news as much as Steve Biddulph's million-copy seller RAISING BOYS. It has changed how we parent sons. thousands of parents keep their boy at home a year longer before starting school and tens of thousands have taught their sons to cook (sparking a worldwide pasta shortage!). And an incredible result - this generation of dads is spending three times as much time with their children. Steve has updated RAISING BOYS dramatically throughout its life, and this new edition is no exception. this book features helpful messages about the three stages of boyhood which help parents plan their lives to keep boys safe and loving life. Steve tackles how to find the very best school (it's often NOt an expensive private school) and how to safeguard against internet pornography harming a boy's spirit or his ability to relate to girls as people. Steve includes stories of mothers who learned to love boyishness - with all its energy and intense emotions. these encourage mums and dads who find boys a bit overwhelming. the message is don't panic - boys are honest and simple. they just need you to have a sense of fun but also to be strong and clear. Learn to laugh - boys' testosterone makes them worry when you are tense. Set clear rules and they will be calmer too. Everyone wants to raise their sons to be caring, warm and strong. Steve Biddulph really has led this worldwide change, and this new edition continues to do so.

"To think of PDA as merely involving demand avoidance is to me akin to thinking of tigers as merely having stripes."This book is a unique window into adult Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), exploring the diversity of distinct PDA traits through the voices of over 70 people living with and affected by the condition.Sally Cat, an adult with PDA, has successfully captured the essence of a popular online support group in book form, making the valuable insights available to a wider audience, and creating a much-needed resource for individuals and professionals. Candid discussions cover issues ranging from overload and meltdowns, to work, relationships and parenting. This is a fascinating and sometimes very moving read.

Jane Alison Sherwin's honest and uplifting account provides insight into the challenges of bringing up a child with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). After years of misdiagnosis, Jane's daughter, Mollie, was diagnosed with PDA at the age of seven, and we follow her experiences pre and post diagnosis to age 10 as she attends school, interacts with the outside world and approaches adolescence. Throughout, Jane provides commentary on her daughter's behaviour and the impact it has on her family, explaining the 'why' of PDA traits, including the need for control, meltdowns, obsessive behaviour and sensory issues. She reveals the strategies that have worked for Mollie and provides essential advice and information on obtaining a diagnosis and raising awareness of PDA. The book also includes an interview with Mollie. Full of advice and support, and with a focus on understanding the child and how he or she sees the world, this book will be of immeasurable value to the parents and families of children with PDA as well as the professionals working with them, particularly teachers and teaching assistants, SEN co-ordinators, psychologists, outreach workers and social workers.

Winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2015A New York Times bestseller'NeuroTribes is a sweeping and penetrating history, presented with a rare sympathy and sensitivity... it will change how you think of autism.' - From the foreword by Oliver SacksWhat is autism: a devastating developmental disorder, a lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more - and the future of our society depends on our understanding it.Following on from his ground breaking article 'The Geek Syndrome', Wired reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for identifying it, and discovers why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years.Going back to the earliest autism research and chronicling the brave and lonely journey of autistic people and their families through the decades, Silberman provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle, while mapping out a path towards a more humane world in which people with learning differences have access to the resources they need to live happier and more meaningful lives.He reveals the untold story of Hans Asperger, whose 'little professors' were targeted by the darkest social-engineering experiment in human history; exposes the covert campaign by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner to suppress knowledge of the autism spectrum for fifty years; and casts light on the growing movement of 'neurodiversity' activists seeking respect, accommodations in the workplace and education, and the right to self-determination for those with cognitive differences.

A NEW YORK TIMES and Australian bestseller, LOOK ME IN THE EYE tells of a child's heartbreaking desperation to connect with others, and his struggle to pass as 'normal' -- a struggle that would continue into adulthood. By the time he was a teenager, John Elder Robison's odd habits -- such as a tendency to obsessively dismantle radios and dig five-foot holes (and stick his little brother in them) -- had earned him the label 'social deviant'. No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent the evenings drinking. Small wonder Robison gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on. It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told Robison he had the form of autism called Asperger's syndrome, transforming the way Robison saw himself -- and the world. LOOK ME IN THE EYE is Robison's moving and blackly funny story of growing up with Asperger's syndrome at a time when the diagnosis didn't even exist. A born storyteller,

"Low-demand parenting requires radical acceptance. It says to the kid right in front of you, I see you, just as you are. - You are ok here. I love you right here." Parent to neurodivergent children and autistic adult, Amanda Diekman, outlines a parenting approach that finally lowers the bar for the whole family, enabling the equilibrium of the home to be restored. Low-demand parenting allows you to drop the demands and expectations that are making family life impossible and embrace the joyful freedom of living life with low demands. It can be a particularly effective approach for children with high anxiety levels including neurodivergent children. Amanda talks from experience and teaches you how to identify what the big, tiny and invisible demands are for your own child and gives you the step-by-step instructions on how to drop them. Full of practical resources and scripts that are easy to implement in busy everyday life, this book is your flashlight and your map to parenting your uniquely wired child. It will not tell you where to go, but it will help you find your way so you and your family thrive.

A PDA diagnosis can be challenging for the whole family. In this story, Piper starts noticing that the way her parents are doing things with her sister are different. She asks her mother about it, who explains what PDA is, how they found out, and what that means for the family. In addition to the story, additional information and helpful tips for parenting with PDA are provided.

Drawing on the author's personal experience of parenting a child with PDA, this insightful and informative guide offers strategies and tips for all aspects of daily life, including sensory issues, education and negotiation. Full of advice and support, this book is not intended to provide information on how to change your children. Rather, it is focused on creating the type of environment that will allow children to be authentically themselves, thereby enabling them to flourish and thrive.

A follow on in the journey through Autism and Aspergers - this, the third book in Rachel's series - enters a new diagnostic space as she learns about and begins to understand Pathological Demand Avoidance - a new flavour of ASD still disputed, debated and under researched.With a foreword from Harry Thompson (The PDA Paradox) and recommendations and backing from the PDA Society, this is a wonderful resource aimed at building open dialogues between parent/carer and child about the nature of their condition - but it is also a wonderful way to open discusion in classrooms and with peer groups who may be struggling to understand PDA in others.

Most children are afraid of the dark. Some fear monsters under the bed. But at least ten percent of children have excessive fears and worries--phobias, separation anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder--that can hold them back and keep them from fully enjoying childhood. If your child suffers from any of these forms of anxiety, the program in this book offers practical, scientifically proven tools that can help. Now in its second edition, Helping Your Anxious Child has been expanded and updated to include the latest research and techniques for managing child anxiety. The book offers proven effective skills based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to aid you in helping your child overcome intense fears and worries. You'll also find out how to relieve your child's anxious feelings while parenting with compassion. Inside, you will learn to: Help your child practice "detective thinking" to recognize irrational worries What to do when your child becomes frightened How to gently and gradually expose your child to challenging situations Help your child learn important social skills This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit--an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

This activity book is a helpful and creative tool for children aged 4-8 to learn and understand their emotions to help reduce anxiety. It is intended to be used in conjunction with the 10 Steps to Reducing Your Child's Anxiety on the Autism Spectrum: The CBT-Based 'Fun with Feelings' Parent Manual. Come and have fun with us, your feelings! Get to know us so that we can help you express your feelings any time you need to! Say hello to Happy Henry Honeydew and see how his eyes light up, his mouth has a great big smile and how he's always laughing. Sit beside Sad Sally Strawberry and you'll learn that when she is sad her eyes look down, her face has a frown, and sometimes she cries. You can show that you are strong, brave and clever by meeting and getting to know all of your feelings. By getting to know your feelings, and learning about the Tools in your Toolbox, you will be able to express and talk about your feelings whenever you need to.

Drawing on the author's extensive clinical and research experience, this book presents practical strategies purposefully developed for parents, therapists and teachers working with autistic adolescents experiencing anxiety. In addition, it features chapters dedicated to assisting parents in supporting their anxious child. The book outlines the co-occurence of anxiety and autism, highlights specific anxiety risks and triggers, and presents practical solutions for overcoming barriers to therapeutic engagement. A collection of CBT, ACT and DBT-informed practical worksheets are included, making this book ideal for use at home, at school or in OT, Psychology and Speech sessions.

From Chaos to Connection is a practical, compassionate, thought-provoking call to action for parents. It’s time to let go of the old, outdated lessons we’ve learned about raising our children and dealing with their emotions and behaviour, and embrace the new paradigm. Emotional intelligence is now recognised by experts and educators across the world as a non-negotiable set of skills for a successful life, no matter our age or lifestyle. Emotionally intelligent kids are more confident, empathetic, and resilient. They also know how to handle big emotions such as anger, frustration, fear and anxiety - without constantly blowing up or melting down. The research is clear, parenting with emotional intelligence is the way forward. In her ground-breaking book, Stephanie describes candid stories of her own family as well as the clients she works with. She actively throws out the unhelpful and even damaging lessons we’ve learned about emotions, such as that they are silly, childish, embarrassing and a sign of weakness. The emotionally intelligent way of parenting discards the outdated methods with which many of us were raised (bribes, threats and punishments) and replaces them with kindness, empathy and compassionate discipline. Stephanie offers a fresh approach to parenting that shows how an understanding of emotions, child development and the neuroscience of behaviour enables parents to ‘crack the code’ of joyful parenting. Put simply, emotionally intelligent parenting invites a lot less drama and a lot more love into the home.

Do you know a child that gets upset when their routine changes? They might also struggle to see the big picture, to make friends, to problem solve in real time, and to read nonverbal communication. Meltdowns, tantrums and other challenging behaviors might be common.This book was written to teach you how making small shifts in your language and speaking style will produce important results. You will stop telling kids what to do and instead thoughtfully give them information to help them make important discoveries in the moment. These moments build resilience, flexibility, and positive relationships over time.You might be a therapist or a teacher, or you might be a parent, grandparent, or babysitter. Your child might have a diagnosis such as autism, Asperger's Syndrome, PDA, ADHD or Non-Verbal Learning Disability. But they might not. No matter your child's learning style, this book was written to help you feel equipped to make a difference, simply by being mindful of your own communication and speaking style."When I heard that Linda Murphy was writing "Declarative Language Handbook", a hallmark of RDI, I knew that our Autism and Communication worlds were about to be influenced by the cutting edge thinking of a truly remarkable expert in the field. What I wasn't prepared for were the crisp, practical, useful guidelines that will make this the most important book on the shelf of clinicians and parents."Rachelle K. Sheely PhD President & Co-Founder of RDIConnect"The shift to increased student agency and teachers as coaches is dependent on a new kind of language in the classroom. Declarative language elevates teaching to that new level."Melissa Andrichak MAT, First Grade Teacher"As a seasoned clinician, I found that when I changed my language from imperative to declarative, I started to notice new competencies of children. I am continually amazed at how simple (but difficult!) changes in my language can be so powerful and bring about incredible changes in a short time. We are so fortunate to have Linda explain the principles of Declarative Language in a book."Martha Bargmann MS, CCC-SLP Speech Language Pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children"Finally! An easy to read book that meets parents and educators 'in the trenches' with information and strategies that help our kids learn critical thinking, social problem solving and executive functioning skills. This book is proof of how making small shifts in our language can have far reaching results."Beckham Linton M.A., CCC-SLP, Social Learning Consultant /Coach "What if people mostly used language with you to tell you what to do or to tell you that you should have done it better? I think you'd agree, that would get discouraging rather fast! For individuals with social learning challenges, this is too often their experience. Through this handbook, Linda guides us to notice how a shift in our use of language (from imperative to declarative) can fundamentally shift how children relate to us and the world around them. Through many practical examples and tips for developing our own use of declarative language, Linda provides us the tools to build positive, pro-active relationships with the individuals we parent, teach or counsel."Michelle Garcia Winner, Founder of the Social Thinking MethodologySpeech Language Pathologist, MA-CCC

"Fierce, unapologetic and joyous . . . This book is a marvel." - Jordon Steele-John, Disability Rights Advocate and Australian Senator Growing up, Chloé Hayden felt like she'd crash-landed on an alien planet where nothing made sense. Eye contact? Small talk? And why are you people so touch-oriented? She moved between 10 schools in 8 years, struggling to become a person she believed society would accept, and was eventually diagnosed with autism and ADHD. When a life-changing group of allies showed her that different did not mean less, she learned to celebrate her true voice and find her happily ever after. This is a moving, at times funny story of how it feels to be neurodivergent as well as a practical guide, with advice for living with meltdowns and shutdowns, tips for finding supportive communities and much more. Whether you're neurodivergent or supporting those who are, Different, Not Less will inspire you to create a more inclusive world where everyone feels like they belong.

'If you are a parent worrying whether self-directed education will work for your child, because you have been told that they have special needs which can only be met in the school system - think again' Neurodivergent children experience and interact with the world differently to many of their peers. Standard educational systems often fail to adapt to their unique strengths and ways of learning. School, and even the act of learning, can become a source of great anxiety and trauma. Self-directed education offers an alternative to traditional schools that can help neurodivergent children develop at their own pace and thrive. Blending theory, practical advice and lived experience, clinical psychologist Naomi Fisher introduces the world of self-directed learning and tailoring the learning environment to your child. This comprehensive overview of self-directed learning is packed with ideas on how to implement it at home and includes interviews from parents of neurodivergent children on how you can make learning differently work for you and your child

'At school, we believe education should touch the whole child. This includes the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and cognitive aspects of the child's life. We teach children quietness as a skill to reflect and recharge their inner lives. Lorraine Murray helped us on this journey.'-- Sheila Laing, Head TeacherStress and behavioural disorders are common in children, who are increasingly bombarded by marketing campaigns, faced with school and peer pressure, and able to sense the stress of adults around them.Mindfulness and meditation can help children recognise and cope with these pressures, releasing bad feelings gently and giving them simple tools to deal with tension and stress throughout their lives. In this practical and inspiring book, Lorraine Murray shows parents, teachers and youth workers how to lead fun and peaceful meditation sessions with children.Lorraine explains a variety of different approaches, from meditations around daily activities for busy families, to ideas for group 'quietness' sessions in schools. She provides fun, tactile rhymes for toddlers to help them calm down before bedtime, and suggests ways to help teenagers reduce anxiety. She goes on to explain how these methods can help children with ADHD and those on the autistic spectrum, giving a range of case studies.This book is suitable for complete beginners, or those with some experience of relaxation and meditation techniques. It offers all the advice needed to lead sessions with children, whilst encouraging the reader to adapt and develop their own ways of helping children to feel calmer, happier and more peaceful.

"From a leading child psychologist comes this groundbreaking new understanding of children's behavior, offering insight and strategies to support both parents and children. Over her decades as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Mona Delahooke has routinely counseled distraught parents who struggle to manage their children's challenging, sometimes oppositional behaviors. These families are understandably focused on correcting or improving a child's lack of compliance, emotional outbursts, tantrums, and other "out of control" behavior. But, as she has shared with these families, a perspective shift is needed. Behavior, no matter how challenging, is not the problem but a symptom; a clue about what is happening in a child's unique physiologic makeup. In Brain-Body Parenting, Dr. Delahooke offers a radical new approach to parenting based on her clinical experience as well as the most recent research in neuroscience and child psychology. Instead of a "top-down" approach to behavior that focuses on the thinking brain, she calls for a "bottom-up" approach that considers the essential role of the entire nervous system, which produces children's feelings and behaviors. When we begin to understand the biology beneath the behavior, suggests Dr. Delahooke, we give our children the resources they need to grow and thrive--and we give ourselves the gift of a happier, more connected relationship with them. Brain-Body Parenting empowers parents with tools to help their children develop self-regulation skills while also encouraging parental self-care, which is crucial for parents to have the capacity to provide the essential "co-regulation" children need. When parents shift from trying to secure compliance to supporting connection and balance in the body and mind, they unlock a deeper understanding of their child, encouraging calmer behavior, more harmonious family dynamics, and increased resilience"--Publisher's description.

Addressing the often-overlooked spiritual needs of mothers, this book discusses Buddhist teachings as applied to the everyday challenges and stresses of raising children. Offered are ways for mothers to reconnect with their inner selves and become calmer and happier—with the recognition that a happier mother will be a better parent. This realistic look at motherhood acknowledges the sorrows as well as the joys of mothering and offers real and achievable coping strategies for mothers to renew their lives on a deep level.

Eliza Fricker gets it. Her compelling, hard-hitting and irreverently humorous illustrations follow a family through the early days of school avoidance, the process of accessing support and the challenges of coping in the meantime. Can't Not Won't illuminates the absurdity and frustrations that often arise when dealing with health, social and educational systems, and will help any parent in the same boat feel seen. This guide acts as a way to communicate these difficult circumstances with others. Wonderfully relatable, the book also includes written guidance for parents and professionals on what works best when it comes to managing school avoidance.

Being a teenager is tricky at the best of times. Your body is changing and hormones are raging around your body - adding PDA to the mix makes this even harder! You may often feel misunderstood by others, and find it hard to understand yourself too. Whether you've just been diagnosed with PDA -or are a seasoned PDAer keen to know a bit more - this warm and wittily illustrated guide will give you a better understanding of your amazing brain and why you are so good at some things, but find other things tricky. It will help you to advocate for yourself better, understand your anxieties, manage rejection sensitivity dysphoria, explain to your family and friends and others what you need (and what drives you up the wall) - and navigate school or alternative education.

All About PDA follows in the best-selling footsteps of Kathy Hoopmanns All Cats are on the Autism Spectrum and All Dogs have ADHD. Through engaging text and full-colour photographs, this book shows how PDAers see and experience the world and highlights the unique characteristics that make them special. A perfect introduction to PDA for those recently diagnosed, as well as their families, friends, and the people who work with them!