Raising PDA Kids - You don't have to walk this road alone
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Email: kate@raisingpda.com |
Website: https://raisingpda.com/ |
Mums Who Get It
My ‘Mums who get it’ program is a 10-week online parent education & support group for mums raising PDA kids.
Raising a child with Pathological Demand Avoidance can be a lonely and isolating path.
You don’t have to walk this path alone.
Connect with a group of like-minded women who intimately understand what you are going through.
My wish is that these women will become your closest and most trusted friends as you navigate this life together.
When does the next 10-week group commence?
2026 (exact dates to be confirmed)
Please email kate@raisingpda.com if you would like to be notified when registrations open.
What’s included:
- 10 weekly, 60-90minute online sessions. These are conducted LIVE over Zoom so you can build genuine connections and share your experiences with other mums who get it. Each session will have a theme to start off the conversation. These sessions are recorded if you are unable to attend in person. While we would love to see your lovely faces at every session, we understand that sometimes the reality of raising neurodivergent kids is that life doesn’t always go to plan. We understand if you arrive late, have to duck out in the middle or leave early. There might be some days where the best you can manage is to listen with your video off. We get it. We understand. You don’t have to apologise. We will take you as you come!
- 9 bite-sized video education modules specific to raising PDAers. We know that as a mum of a PDAer, “free-time” is so precious. We’ll keep these videos short, snappy and relevant. For those that prefer to read, we’ll provide these in PDF handout format too. Don’t stress if you haven’t had a chance to watch each module prior to weekly live zoom session, you have life-time access to these. They are not essential to being able to fully participate in the zoom sessions.
- Private Facebook Group where you can access peer support and ask individualised questions about your child and family situation. Kate Kleinau, the group facilitator, can provide practical tips and advice, drawing on the lived experience of raising a PDAer and having 15 years of professional knowledge working as a Paediatric Occupational Therapist. This Facebook group will remain open beyond the end of the 10- week program so that you can maintain the supportive connections you have made.
- Limited to just 20 places. We only accept a small number of participants in each course to ensure that you get individualised support and can make genuine connections with the other mums in the program.
- Complimentary access to the Mums Who Get It Alumni, Private Facebook Group on completion of the program. This group allows you to…
- Be connected and receive support from a larger group of mums, Australia wide.
- Have an avenue to ask Kate ongoing questions.
- Participate in Termly catch ups Live over Zoom.
- Arrange in-person meet-ups with other mums local to you.
- Kate also shares life anecdotes to pull together concepts learned from the 10-week program.
Payment information:
$1100 for 10-week program. Claimable using NDIS funding for self-managed and plan-managed families. Under the NDIS, parents and carers of a child with a disability can receive funding to improve your ability to support them to achieve their goals.
Often there is flexibility with where families can allocate their NDIS Capacity Building funds.
The program is billed under CB Daily Activity, Improved Daily Living Skills, Training for Carers/Parents, Item # 15_038_0117_1_3.
The Mums Who Get It Program meets the following NDIS criteria:
- It is delivered by a professional- that’s me, Kate Kleinau, I’m a registered Occupational Therapist.
- The support needs to link in with your child’s NDIS goals. This course is aligned with providing strategies to assist with goals such as: emotional regulation, self-regulation, communication, relationships, executive functioning, and self-care. Specifically, I will guide you through an accommodation approach for how you can manage tolerance levels, set up environments and adapt the way you communicate to support your child to access these skills. I’ll also provide an environment where you can access much need peer support from other families who are living it.
- Supports must be delivered in line with the NDIS price arrangements and price limits. This is a link to the full document NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025-26 PDF.pdf Page 99 is where you will find a section called Other Services that has an item number called Training for Carers/Parents.
For Australian-based participants, the program is invoiced in 2 installments as follows.
- First instalment: On registering and signing our Service Agreement you will be sent access details to the Mums Who Get It Portal, where you have lifetime access to all the course education videos, learning prompts, written materials and additional resources. Your first invoice for $250 will also be sent at this time.
- Second instalment: The remaining $850 is invoiced at the end on the Term, on completion of the live course component.
Full payment is required at the commencement of the program for overseas participants.
* If you have previously completed my on-demand course, Pathological Demand Avoidance for Parents, the first installment invoice of $250 is waived.
Course Outline:
Module 1: Understanding PDA
- What is PDA?
- What is happening at a neurological level?
- What is sensory processing?
- How do I explain PDA to my child?
- How do I explain PDA to others?
Module 2: Living a low-demand lifestyle
- Why is a low-demand lifestyle helpful?
- How do I lower demands for my child?
Module 3: Building trust through communication
- What is Declarative Language?
- How do I include Declarative Language in day-to-day life?
- How do I use Proactive & Collaborative Problem Solving?
Module 4: Increasing connection & regulation
- How do I increase regulation?
Module 5: Managing energy levels
- How do I know if my child is in burnout?
- How do I recognise the early signs of escalation?
- How do I know when to pull back and when to encourage?
Module 6: Balancing your family’s needs, Part 1: Siblings
- How do I manage differences in expectations between siblings?
- What about if siblings are getting hurt?
Module 7: Balancing your family’s needs, Part 2: Yourselves as carers
- How do we meet our own needs?
- How do we share the load?
- How do we maintain connection with each other?
- How do we get on the same page?
Module 8- Supporting education
- Considering PDA & education
- What does self-directed learning actually look like?
- How do I advocate for my PDAer at school?
Module 9- Therapies & supports
- Reframing your outlook
- What therapies and supports are a good fit for PDAers?
Online Training for Professionals
Pathological Demand Avoidance for Professionals: Empowering Families to Help Their PDAers Thrive. New and updated from October 2024
Presented by Kate Kleinau.
New and updated from October 2024.
This training is a 3.5 hour on-demand, online professional development course suited for all professionals supporting families of Autistic PDAers, including but not limited to, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Speech Pathologists & Counsellors.
You will have 3 months access from the time of purchase to the course materials (video webinar, presentation slides and reference list that includes links to where you can find further helpful information).
Research and awareness of the PDA profile of Autism is in its infancy, as a professional, it can be challenging to find the right training and tools to feel confident working with these complex cases.
As a Paediatric Occupational Therapist with over 15 years of experience, and the parent of an Autistic PDAer, I can provide you with the insight and skills to empower families so that they can support their PDAers to thrive.
By completing this course you will…
- Gain a deeper understanding of PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance)
- Learn how to identify PDA in the clients you are working with.
- Feel confident in how to support families through a parent education model.
- Learn how to guide families to implement a low demand lifestyle.
- Explore helpful communication techniques such as declarative language and collaborative problem solving.
- Build knowledge for how families can increase opportunities for regulation.
- Learn how to guide families to help their PDAer stay within their window of tolerance.
- Explore considerations for balancing the needs of the whole family unit.
- Learn how to offer support to manage sibling dynamics.
- Build skills for face-to-face therapy sessions.
- Build knowledge for advocating for PDA students in education settings.
$175 AUD- Total of 3.5 CPD hours.
Together we can get families out of crisis and help them to create environments that allow their Autistic PDA kids to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives.
PDA for Parents On-Demand Course
Pathological Demand Avoidance for Parents: Empowering you to help your PDAer thrive.
Presented by Kate Kleinau.
As the parent of an Autistic PDA child, I know how hard it is to access the right information and support.
As a Paediatric Occupational Therapist with over 15 years of experience, and the parent of an Autistic PDAer, I have the insight and skills to empower you so that you can support your PDAer to thrive.
This training is a 3.5 hour on-demand, online course suited to parents of Autistic PDAers.
You can download the program at any time and work through the program at your own pace.
You will have access to the course materials for 1 year from the time of purchase, including:
- 9 video education modules specific to raising a PDA child. (Total of 3.5 hours)
- Learning prompts that allow you to apply concepts learned to your unique situation.
- Written education pack for those who prefer information delivered in text format.
- Additional helpful resources to aid you in applying strategies.
By completing this course you will …
Gain a deeper understanding about PDA.
Learn how to explain PDA to your child and important people in your life.
Know how to embrace a low demand lifestyle.
Learn about shifting your mindset towards radical acceptance.
Build confidence to advocate for your child’s needs and know what to look for when engaging in PDA-affirming therapy.
Learn how to build regulating activities into your day and monitor your child’s window of tolerance.
Learn how to make decisions that balance your whole family’s needs. Those of your PDA child, their siblings, yourself and your partner.
Feel assured in your decisions around education.
Build a strong relationship with your child based on trust and connection.
Discover how to use declarative language and implement collaborative problem solving with your child.
Payment information
Total cost: $250 AUD
You may be able to use your child’s NDIS funding to access this program.
Often there is flexibility with where families can allocate their NDIS Capacity Building funds.
The program is billed under CB Daily Activity, Improved Daily Living Skills, Training for Carers/Parents, Item # 15_038_0117_1_3.
This PDA for Parents program meets the following NDIS criteria:
- It is a disability specific course designed for parents of Autistic PDA children.
- It is delivered by a professional- that’s me, Kate Kleinau, I’m a registered Occupational Therapist.
- The support needs to link in with your child’s NDIS goals. This course is aligned with providing strategies to assist with goals such as: emotional regulation, self-regulation, communication, relationships, executive functioning, and self-care. Specifically, I will guide you through an accommodation approach for how you can manage tolerance levels, set up environments and adapt the way you communicate to support your child to access these skills.
- Supports must be delivered in line with the NDIS price arrangements and price limits. This is a link to the full document PB NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2023-24 .pdf Pages 98 & 99 is where you will find a section called Other Services that has an item number called Training for Carers/Parents.
*If you choose to sign up for my full 10-week Mums Who Get It program at a later time, the $250 cost of this course will be deducted from the full program rate.