Amy Kotha, Life & Parent Coach

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Amy Kotha, Life & Parent Coach

Parent coach + educator supporting parents of PDA autistic children and teens. bio.site/amykcoach

12/04/2025

𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 - 𝟭𝟮𝗣𝗠 𝗘𝗧⁣
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If your PDA child’s behavior feels confusing, intense, or unpredictable… you’re not alone, and you’re not failing.⁣
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PDA behavior isn’t defiance - it’s protection.⁣
And when you understand the nervous system underneath the behavior, everything starts to make sense again.⁣
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𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:⁣
👉 Why PDA kids react so strongly to demands⁣
👉 How to recognize early signs of nervous system threat⁣
👉 What actually helps during meltdowns, shutdowns, and avoidance⁣
👉 How YOUR nervous system changes everything⁣
👉 The foundation for a calmer, more connected home!⁣
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If you’ve been craving clarity, this hour will change things.⁣
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𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿! ⁣
🔗 Link in bio.⁣
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11/24/2025

If you’re already bracing yourself for holiday comments, side-eyes, or “advice”… you’re not alone!⁣
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PDA families get hit with extra pressure this time of year:⁣
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❄️ overstimulation⁣
❄️ routines disrupted⁣
❄️ social expectations⁣
❄️ family judgment⁣
❄️ “good mom” pressure⁣
❄️ nervous systems in full survival mode⁣
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So Maya and I decided to bust a few myths - because NONE of this is about “behavior,” “attitude,” or “willpower.”⁣
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It’s the nervous system.⁣
Every. Single. Time.⁣
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And when your child’s nervous system is overwhelmed?⁣
Yours gets overwhelmed too.⁣
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That doesn’t make you a bad parent - it makes you a human one.⁣
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If you want these holidays to feel less like crisis-management and more like connection,⁣
✨ join me on 𝗗𝗲𝗰 𝟱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽:⁣
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Friday, 12/5 @ 12 pm ET | $25⁣
Recording will be available ⁣
40-page ebook + completion certificate included!⁣
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We’re going to unpack WHY things get so hard this time of year and WHAT actually helps — for your child and for you.⁣
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🔗 link in bio!!⁣
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You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through this season.💙⁣
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11/22/2025

SOOTHE isn’t my full PDA framework - it’s the moment-to-moment guide I teach parents to stay connected and non-reactive when their child drops into overwhelm.⁣
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None of your child’s states are “bad.”⁣
Some scream.⁣
Some hide.⁣
All of them are trying to protect a sensitive nervous system.⁣
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SOOTHE is 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 I’ll be teaching in my December 5th ‘𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺’ workshop, as well as inside the 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗶𝗴, 𝗕𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀: 𝗔 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 (12-week parent experience created by Robyn Gobbel) starting in January.⁣
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Stay close if you want this to finally make sense.⁣
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👉 Links in the bio for more info/to register for upcoming courses!⁣
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11/21/2025

Many parents of PDA kids tell me they feel blindsided by their child’s reactions - the intensity, the suddenness, the bigness of it all.⁣
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But here’s the truth:⁣
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗼𝗿 “𝗯𝗮𝗱.”⁣
They’re 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀 from a child who feels overwhelmed, unsafe, or out of control in that moment.⁣
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When you can see the 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 under the behavior, everything changes - for them and for you.⁣
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That’s why I created 𝗦𝗢𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘, my framework for helping PDA parents understand: ⁣
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✨ how to respond without losing themselves.⁣
✨ how to rebuild connection after the storm⁣
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If you want to go deeper into supporting your child’s nervous system:⁣
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✨ 𝗗𝗲𝗰 𝟱: 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 ($25 Workshop)⁣
A gentle, practical introduction to state shifts, co-regulation, and why your PDA child reacts the way they do.⁣
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✨ 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟭𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 - 𝟭𝟮-𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗶𝗴, 𝗕𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀: 𝗔 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲⁣
Based on Robyn Gobbel’s brilliant model, adapted by me for PDA families who need a different approach - one centered on autonomy, safety, and connection.⁣
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Your child’s behaviors are protective.⁣
Your response can be, too. ⁣
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➡️ Want to understand your child’s nervous system? ⁣
The Dec 5 workshop is the best place to start. Drop a 💛 and I’ll DM the details!⁣
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11/20/2025

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱’𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀.⁣
And honestly? Neither does yours.⁣
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December is a sensory + emotional pressure-cooker for PDA families:⁣
🎄 disrupted routines⁣
🎄 family expectations⁣
🎄 more demands⁣
🎄 more social pressure⁣
🎄 more noise, smells, and stimulation⁣
🎄 more unpredictability⁣
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So if you’re seeing more meltdowns, shutdowns, avoidance, rigidity, or emotional volatility starting even now…⁣
you’re not doing anything wrong!⁣
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This is the 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘥. 💥⁣
Not misbehavior. Not defiance. Not bad parenting.⁣
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If you want to understand the REAL patterns underneath your child’s reactions - and learn what you can do to support both their system and yours - join me for my 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟱𝘁𝗵 “𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺” 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽.⁣
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𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗗𝗔 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀.⁣
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➡️ Link in bio!⁣
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11/17/2025

If your child melts down over something tiny…⁣
If they go from calm to explosive in 0.2 seconds…⁣
If you’re left thinking, “Why is this happening again?”⁣
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You’re not missing something.⁣
Your child isn’t being “difficult.”⁣
And you’re not a bad parent.⁣
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What’s happening is neuroception - the brain’s built-in alarm system that scans the world for safety or danger before kids can think, reason, or talk themselves through anything.⁣
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For PDA kids especially, this system is extra sensitive.⁣
A tone of voice… a transition… a request… even your approach can register as “danger,” and boom - the survival brain takes over.⁣
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Outbursts aren’t choices.⁣
They’re reactions.⁣
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And once you understand that, everything shifts from⁣
❌ “How do I stop this behavior?”⁣
to⁣
✔️ “How do I help my child feel safer in their own body?”⁣
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That’s where connection, softness, and curiosity become more powerful than any consequence chart ever made.⁣
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You’re not alone in this.⁣
And there’s nothing wrong with your child’s brain - it’s doing exactly what it was wired to do.⁣
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11/13/2025

Big truths land in the body long before they land in the mind.

If you’ve ever felt nervous sharing adoption, trauma, or diagnostic info with your child… your nervous system feels it too. It makes so much sense!

🎧 The full episode is out today.

And if this resonates, you’ll love my Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior workshop (created by Robyn Gobbel) - where we go deeper into why safety drives everything, including conversations like this.

Save your spot through the link in my bio!

08/28/2025

PDA kids can’t regulate through control. ⁣
They regulate through trust.⁣
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When they feel heard and trusted, their nervous system can shift from fear → to safety → to connection.⁣
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This is what I call ‘trust-rooted parenting’.⁣
It is truly where healing, change, and growth begin.⁣
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Chicago, IL

Website

http://bio.site/amykcoach

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