PAST - Positive Assessments Support and Training

PAST - Positive Assessments Support and Training PAST provides support to Neurodivergent individuals & their families. We offer consultations & advice

PAST provides support to neurodivergent individuals and their families. Whether you need a one-off consultation or regular support and advice on behaviour or insight into your child's needs, we are here to help. We also offer accredited and bespoke training on autism, PDA and ADHD to schools and colleges and regular webinars and workshops for families and professionals. We offer NICE compliant autism and demand avoidance assessments.

I wish Danielle Jata Hall aka PDA Parenting's book, "The School is Lava" had been available ten years ago. I have worke...
25/08/2026

I wish Danielle Jata Hall aka PDA Parenting's book, "The School is Lava" had been available ten years ago.

I have worked with so many children who I know would have found this book so helpful, and I could also have read it with my youngest son Fin.

When he was in Year 4, Fin developed terrible anxiety.

My happy, cheeky, confident boy started having “stomach aches” in the morning and saying he didn’t feel well enough to go to school. It was clear that as soon as I said he could stay at home, he quickly recovered and that there was something else going on.

The descent into debilitating anxiety was frighteningly quick – soon he was having panic attacks in the car, and instead of being able to drop him in the “Drop Zone” outside school, we had to leave 20 minutes earlier each morning so that I could walk him in
so he could be met by a lovely TA who would sit with him whilst he sobbed and said he was “so scared.” It was heart-breaking and heart wrenching to leave him there (and something I still feel guilty about.)

Some days we just simply didn't make it in.

The school were scarily clueless when it came to supporting an anxious child, and I ended up advising them rather than the other way round.

Fin told me on several occasions that he felt like a failure because all his friends could go to school, he didn't realise so many other children felt as scared as he did.

If you have a child like Fin, who wants to go to school but just can't, then please buy a copy of "The School is Lava" and help them realise that they are not alone.

Going Back to School: Why September Can Be So Difficult for Neurodivergent LearnersFor many children, September is a fre...
25/08/2026

Going Back to School: Why September Can Be So Difficult for Neurodivergent Learners

For many children, September is a fresh start.

For many neurodivergent children, it can feel like the worst time in the world..

During the summer, there may have been fewer demands, more flexibility and much more autonomy.

Then suddenly…

Get up.

Get dressed.

Eat breakfast.

Brush your teeth.

Find your shoes.

We're going to be late.

And that's before they've even reached the school gates.

I often describe demands as filling a bucket.

Every demand adds something. Some add a few drops. Others add much more.

School then adds hundreds of demands we don't always recognise as demands:
Sitting still.

Noise.

Uniform.

Transitions.

Social expectations.

Unpredictability.

Stopping something before you're finished.

Getting things right.

Holding it together.

By the time a neurodivergent child gets home, their bucket may already be full.

Then you ask:

"What do you want for dinner?"
…and everything explodes.

The dinner wasn't the problem.

It was simply the final drop.

This is also why we need to be careful when we hear:

"But they're absolutely fine at school."

Some children ARE fine.

But others are using an enormous amount of energy to appear fine.

Compliance isn't always the same as regulation.

So this September, perhaps we don't need to focus on hitting the ground running.

Perhaps we need:
💙 Softer starts
💙 Fewer unnecessary demands
💙 More predictability
💙 Genuine choices
💙 Movement and regulation breaks
💙 Safe people and safe spaces
💙 Less pressure after school
💙 Support that doesn't make a child feel different

And perhaps the most important question we can ask is:
"What would make this easier?"

If a neurodivergent child struggles with the return to school, our job isn't to keep squeezing more into an already full bucket.

Our job is to notice what's filling it and work together to remove some of those demands.

illustration by Eliza Fricker Missing The Mark

23/08/2026

At the book launch for PDA Parenting’s new book “The School is Lava” I was asked what education could look like for our children - this is my response………..

Video credit: Francescabellosend

Huge congratulations to the brilliant Danielle PDA Parenting on the publication of her new book “The School is Lava.” N...
22/08/2026

Huge congratulations to the brilliant Danielle PDA Parenting on the publication of her new book “The School is Lava.” Not only have you written an incredible book that I know will help so many children and their families, but you also created a beautiful, neuroaffirming event for them too. Was brilliant to see so many people there xx

There is no such thing as a “bad” emotion.This is why I really don’t like those “systems” where children have to state w...
21/08/2026

There is no such thing as a “bad” emotion.

This is why I really don’t like those “systems” where children have to state which emotion they are feeling when they come in to school in the morning.

Firstly, many children may not actually “know” which emotion they are experiencing.

We put so much focus on “emotional regulation” without the first essential step which is “emotional recognition.”

Secondly, there seems to be a focus or preference on children indicating that they are “happy” or in the “green zone” so children may just default to saying this is where they are.

The child may feel that saying that they are “sad” or “angry” may be seen as less preferable adults around them. This may be compounded by the responses children hear too when they say they are feeling. They may hear “Oh good – you feel happy today!” v “Oh dear – you feel angry – what is the matter?”

We need to stop children growing up feeling that emotions such as “angry,” “sad,” or “worried” are bad emotions.

They are not!

They are normal, healthy emotions and we need to encourage children to recognise when they feel them so that they can then learn how to regulate them effectively.

It is important as adults that we role model that we experience these emotions.

It is OK to say, “I am feeling really angry, so I am going to step away and take some deep breaths until I feel a bit calmer” or “I felt really sad today and I had a cry which made me feel a bit better.”

If we don’t allow our children to understand that there is no such thing as good or bad emotions, just normal, healthy emotions that all humans feel they will mask how their true emotions and will never learn or understand what to do when they experience them.

Pic credit: Missing The Mark taken from 'The Educator’s Experience of Pathological Demand Avoidance' published by JKP

When we work with some learners, particularly those who have a PDA profile, we have to see learning as a journey and not...
20/08/2026

When we work with some learners, particularly those who have a PDA profile, we have to see learning as a journey and not a fixed destination.

We have to respect the learner with PDA’s autonomy and go with their flow, wherever that takes us.

We have to understand that we may start off with one learning destination in sight, then end up at a completely different end point.

We have to understand that sometimes it is essential to change direction, to do something new, unexpected or even stop for a break and a rest sometimes.

We need to be an enthusiastic, fun and trusted passenger, there to give guidance when requested, never to direct.

We have to understand that there may be bumps in the road, but that when you get to the final destination, it will be so, so worth the ride.

“The Teen’s Guide to PDA”, illustrated by the brilliant Missing The Mark available from JKP, Amazon and other good book stores.

19/08/2026

25% Off!

25 Years in Education | 25% Off All Training

This year I am celebrating 25 years working in education, and I want to CELEBRATE with you. From the 1st of August through to the end of September, I am offering 25% off all training.

Twenty five years has taught me so much about what young people and the families who support them really need, and it has shaped everything I now offer through my training. If you have been thinking about booking, this is the time.

Take a look at everything on offer and get in touch to secure your discount: https://lnkd.in/erY8pnq2

Enter the word CELEBRATE at check out to access this discount.

I am very honoured to have been invited onto The Unfiltered Autistic Podcast this time.Amanda Mc Guinness had me on, and...
18/08/2026

I am very honoured to have been invited onto The Unfiltered Autistic Podcast this time.

Amanda Mc Guinness had me on, and we talked about PDA... autonomy... nervous system safety... child led learning... school... capacity... and why PDA learners might need us to let go of some pretty traditional ideas about education.

We also got into my books, and what it actually looks like to turn PDA understanding into support that works. Real support. Not theory.

If you are a parent or a professional trying to understand a PDA child better, have a watch:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ndEjQlsQko7Iw6YkOqNaO?si=cOhJHteDTpGAQz6YHCnWFw

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_aVjBc_YR0&t=3s

I hate PDA!!! (Public Displays of Attainment!)Imagine working in an environment where you are constantly at risk of bei...
17/08/2026

I hate PDA!!! (Public Displays of Attainment!)

Imagine working in an environment where you are constantly at risk of being humiliated in front of your colleagues.

Imagine working somewhere where your mistakes and actions are constantly scrutinised and publicly displayed.

Imagine working somewhere when even when you try your best you are told it’s not good enough.

Imagine working somewhere where your needs are not listened to, accounted for or respected.

Doesn’t sound like a great place to work does it?

You probably wouldn’t stay there and would find another job wouldn’t you?

But this is what is happening to many neurodivergent children in schools every single day.

One thing I HATE with a passion is these public behaviour charts used in schools.

These charts do not take into consideration the differing needs, strengths and challenges of all children.

These charts cause children to feel ashamed of their mistakes and ashamed of their differences.

How much better would it be if instead of focussing on the negatives we look at ways to make sure children feel safe and happy and become confident learners?

illustrated by Eliza Fricker Missing The Mark

I am so upset by the tragic death of Professor Jason Arday. I hope those responsible are reflecting on their role in hi...
15/08/2026

I am so upset by the tragic death of Professor Jason Arday. I hope those responsible are reflecting on their role in his death.

The British Media and social media can be so vile and utterly toxic. People’s words and actions are literally killing people.

Before you comment.
Before you react.
Before you share.
Before you join in.

Just stop for a moment and ask yourself one question:

“How would I feel if someone was saying these things about my child?”

Because behind every headline, every photograph and every social media post is a real person.

Someone’s child.
Someone’s parent.
Someone’s partner.
Someone’s friend.

You don’t have to agree with them.
You don’t have to defend them.
You don’t even have to like them.

But you can choose not to add to their pain.

Imagine how much kinder the world might be if we all stopped and thought about that before we pressed send. ❤️

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