inclusion and send

Understanding and Supporting Pathological Demand Avoidance (Long Course)

Through this course, participants will gain a deeper understanding of pathological demand avoidance (PDA) – the anxiety-driven autism profile. This course is aimed at teaching staff and SENDCos, showing them how to apply the 5-pillar PANDA framework: Prioritise and Compromise, Anxiety Management, Negotiation and Collaboration, Disguise and Manage Demands, and Adaptation. These pillars are essential for reducing conflict, increasing learner autonomy and creating a flexible, inclusive learning environment.
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Liv Gisby

2 hours

Online Course

By completing this course, you will:

gain a comprehensive understanding of PDA as an anxiety-driven profile of autism, enabling you to use respectful terminology and distinguish it from general defiance;
fundamentally shift your teaching methodology from traditional compliance models to a collaborative, partnership-based approach, centred on building trust and working with the learners to share control;
master techniques to effectively address the root cause (anxiety) by learning to use indirect language, recognise the full range of demands and apply PANDA approaches to proactively lower the learner’s anxiety dial;
develop the ability to be highly flexible and proactive by using the entire PANDA framework to create bespoke support plans, including mastering ‘Plan B’ strategies and utilising novelty and role play as engagement tools;
contribute to whole-school commitment where all staff can consistently identify triggers and apply non-confrontational strategies across all settings, leading to genuine inclusion and improved learning outcomes.

Course Lessons

Written and presented by: Liv Gisby

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Liv Gisby brings a unique and robust perspective to education, drawing on over 15 years of experience across mainstream and special school settings, combined with four years of service as a police detective. Her educational career spans roles as a class teacher across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), key stage 1 and key stage 2. She then spent six years specialising as a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo), during which she earned the National Award for SEN Coordination. Liv has an undergraduate degree in psychology and extensive further training in speech and language (SALT), occupational therapy (OT), autistic spectrum condition (ASC), trauma, attachment and specific learning difficulties like dyslexia. As a senior leader, she was responsible for managing staff development and delivering whole-school CPD related to special educational needs (SEN). Her ability to navigate complex safeguarding issues and multi-agency work is enhanced by her background as a detective, where she focused on domestic abuse and child protection.

This dual expertise now informs her work creating essential training materials for educators. Liv specialises in bridging the gap between clinical theory, classroom practice and critical welfare needs, ensuring that every resource she develops provides educators with the knowledge and practical tools required to offer truly holistic and impactful support for all learners.
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