Exciting News!


I am so excited for you to join me on this brand new and exciting journey through parenting that has NEVER been done before, with my experiential insights, and knowledge into what being PDA means, living alongside PDA children and working with hundreds of families over the years, I believe this programme will change your lives, from Triangles of Trauma, to The Circle of Co-regulation creating safety and connection by developing and mastering Trauma Responsive interactions within your family circle.

The ONLY Trauma Informed AND Trauma Responsive programme designed specifically for PDA families, - that we know about - it is a truly unique offering from The Nurture Programme and will be revolutionary for the on-going understanding and support that our families desperately strive for.

What is PDA?

An Autistic person with a PDA profile strives for fairness, to be Authentic, and to have autonomy over their own decisions and journey through life. When we continue to parent through societal norms and parenting beliefs bestowed upon us through our own journey of being parented we take this away from them, their threat response is likely to become so heightened that they will lose trust in the people around them, including those closest to them. 

Their Anxiety will rise, they will feel so threatened by their environment that their autonomic nervous system activates permanently, meaning that they experience anxiety so intense that they struggle to manage everyday tasks, such as socialising, getting dressed to go to work, or school and other crucial aspects such as the things or activities they love the most.

Because people with PDA are Autistic they will also have different experiences in developmental areas such as social and communication. This profile is widely mistaken for defiant oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and challenging behaviours. Whilst the child may display ‘behaviours’ which one may think of as naughty, it is important to remember that these are driven by intense and debilitating levels of anxiety and their actual difficulties become masked or internalised, which encourages others to focus on the external information our children are offering us through behaviour.

About the Programme

This programme is designed to be a raw and vulnerable project that takes you on a journey through our mistakes, our achievements and most importantly our realisations that Autonomy, Authenticity and Connection can empower the young person or adult, reducing their anxiety and therefore helping them to achieve, rather than avoid. Often we find ourselves in a power struggle with our children due to the societal expectations and parenting beliefs bestowed upon us, We visit the notion that we do not have to parent to societal expectation anymore, or to those rigid parenting beliefs that were bestowed upon us through our childhood. We CAN be different. We can be RADICAL parents. This programme will be interactive, collaborative and linked to a private Facebook Group where the learning will be Trauma Informed and Trauma Responsive

presentation:

Nobody Told Me it Would Be This Hard

Date & Time

Wednesday 12th March – 10:30am

presentation:

Giving up the Power Struggle

Date & Time

Thursday 13th March – 10:30am

presentation:

F*ck That Sh*t

Date & Time

Wednesday 19th March – 10:30am

presentation:

You Could Have Told Me Sooner

Date & Time

Thursday 20th March – 10:30am

Support For PDA

Support for PDA

Trauma Informed & Trauma Responsive sessions led by Jodie Isitt, who is soon to complete a Professional Diploma in Trauma Informed and Trauma Responsive Therapeutic Coaching.

What do I get?

  • Four professionally illustrated sessions guiding you through our Calm, Connection & Co-Regulation Parenting Approach, focused on Pathological Demand Avoidance and unlearning then re-learning the most effective ways to support your children.
  • Four Interactive Trauma Informed & Trauma Responsive Coaching Sessions delivered and facilitated by Jodie isitt
  • Interactive sheets,  
  • Presentation 
  • Behaviour Responses 
  • Anxiety 
  • The Triangle of Trauma
 

Qualifications statement

Jodie is currently taking a certified Professional Diploma in Therapeutic Coaching, which is Trauma informed and crucially, Trauma Responsive.

This is essential knowledge for parenting PDA children, as the world around them has little flexibility that they experience trauma daily which becomes so deep rooted that becoming Trauma Responsive is imperative to their Trauma Recovery.

 

“This Certified Professional Diploma will qualify you as a Coach and allow you to gain an ICF Coaching credential. It is also certified with CPD and offers 125+ CPD hours” – Lucy Power

I cannot wait to work with you!


This programme is designed to be a raw and vulnerable project that takes you on a journey through our mistakes, our achievements and most importantly the realisations that Autonomy, Authenticity and Connection can empower the young person or adult, reducing their anxiety and therefore helping them to achieve, rather than avoid. Often we find ourselves in a power struggle with our children due to the societal expectations and parenting beliefs bestowed upon us. We visit the notion that we do not have to parent to societal expectation anymore, or to those rigid parenting beliefs that were bestowed upon us through our childhood. We CAN be different. We can be RADICAL parents.

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Guide Five: RADICAL CONNECTION - Neuroparenting with Kristy Forbes & Jodie Isitt

Kristy and Jodie have worked together for a number of years and are completely aligned in their parenting, and in fact all round beliefs. Creating neuro-inclusive spaces, using neuro-affirmative approaches as standard. 

Week 3: Reasonable Adjustments

The pathway of SEN / EHCP’s / Reasonable adjustments and so forth can be a scary and bewildering place. But knowledge is POWER and this session aims to provide members with this power. 

Attendees will be given clear information and knowledge so they will be able to navigate these pathways armed with confidence. This will include basic law and children’s rights including ideas about what reasonable adjustments vs unreasonable adjustments are. We give examples of our own reasonable adjustments, how to ensure these adjustments are put in place and ideas on how to approach the professionals in your children’s lives to ensure that their needs are met. 

Members will also be equipped with ideas for “reasonable adjustments” versus “unreasonable adjustments”. A guest expert speaker – Karen Stepanova – SEN Consultant is arranged for this week who will give her very own presentations on the basics of SEN Law.

Week 4: Mental Health

In this session we look at how Imposter Syndrome can cause people to doubt their abilities.

The toll of advocating for children with additional needs can be detrimental to a parent or carer’s health. Our aim is to build up confidence and restore the mental health of parents or carers so that they have the inner strength to fight as hard as they can for their children.

This week focuses on changing negative thoughts to positive ones and helps restore the mental health of attendees. Jodie and Laura provide ‘Top Tips’ to staying mentally well during tricky times.  

Week 5: No-one can help me

What can I do? By week 5 we hope that all attendees will feel more confident, less stressed and have the skills and facts that they need to successfully advocate for their children. But we know that sometimes this is not enough.

The system can be fraught with challenges, and no matter how skilled you are, it can feel like your journey keeps being taken off track. In this session, an expert speaker will join to give fantastic advice on where to turn next when you feel you have exhausted all avenues. Practical advice regarding matters such as benefits, grants and additional sources of advice is also given, leaving the attendees feeling well equipped in their journey ahead.  

Guide Three: I'm Giving Up

Making sure that consistency is key, as our young people will not learn to trust us if we do not show them we are trustworthy. So making sure that when we start this process, we are committed to making it as successful as we possibly can.

Gaining trust, and keeping it is extremely important, however we all make mistakes, we will get triggered at some point, it is how we manage those mistakes that count. We are so used to being judged for our parenting choices, that throughout this session you be inspired to take back control of who you are, and give you the confidence to shut out the negative and leave more room for the positive.

Guide Two - Trust Your Gut

Guide Two: Trusting your instincts is a vital part of the process for RADICAL (UN)Parenting and we will discuss the many experiences of the facilitator and the learners where this has either proven to be true when listened to or when you wish you would have listened and acted on that gut feeling.

Briefly discussing methods of communication for the neurodivergent person and how important it is to study our young people intently so that we can begin to talk their language.  This session guides you back to your most confident, enabling those advocacy skills to flourish once more and encouraging you to always trust your gut.

Radical Guide Four: F*ck That Sh*t

Tuning out all the negative interference from around you will be crucial to enhancing your progression through this change, and this is something that will be difficult for a lot of families particularly when people are not yet ready to accept the RADICAL approach. Ditching the negative impacts on your parenting so that you can be free to be you. No shame. No judgment, just unapologetically you!

Join us whilst together we chant:   

F*ck That Sh*t

Week 1: Introduction to ASC

We will explore the many aspects of being autistic or having an autistic family member. Jodie will share her road to diagnosis for her three children and finally herself and her own diagnosis in 2020 at 35 years of age.  This first week will lay the foundations for the rest of the Five week programme. 

Week 3: Worrier to Warrior

In this final session, we will help you and those you support to find ways to reframe negative thoughts so that it is possible to “think better and feel better.”  We will also cover practical strategies to help you manage your anxious self, keep calm and turn you from a worrier, to a warrior, ready to battle everything that life throws at you.

Week 2: Differences I May Experience

Focussing on the saying, “When you have met one autistic person you have met one autistic person” we will take a deeper dive into the way that autism effects everyone individually.  During this session we will look at sensory needs in more detail and provide some ideas to help keep autistic children more regulated.

Week 3: Advocating For My Autistic Child

Laura and Jodie feel that “small changes make a big difference” for autistic individuals – and during this session we will discuss helpful tips for parents and reasonable adjustments for schools and colleges. 

In this session you will also be able to ask us questions relevant to this topic and we will signpost you to other helpful organisations and sources of information related to Autism. 

Week 4: Sibling Support

There is no doubt that an autism diagnosis can affect the whole family.  In this fourth session we will explore the impact autism can have on families and siblings.

We will discuss lots of helpful approaches to help you support your whole family and explore the positive aspects of an autism diagnosis.  We will also discuss how to support siblings of autistic individuals using empathy and understanding whilst also covering the importance of looking after your own mental health as parents.

Week 5: The Autistic Experience

Chloe, Jodie and Laura will discuss the medical model of autism and some of the theories of autism which are now proven to be out-dated and detrimental to autistic individuals.

Chloe will talk using her personal insight as an autistic adult, will discuss effective ways to support the mental well-being of autistic individuals and answer questions from attendees.

Week 2: Nurturing Anxious Minds

Whilst it is true that many children suffer from anxiety at any one time, those who are neurodivergent (ie are autistic, with or without PDA; have ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia etc) are more likely to have anxiety to varying degrees as part of their experience.  In this session, the anxiety experienced by any child is approached with understanding and acceptance and is jam-packed with practical ways to support children in a positive and nurturing way.

Week 1: Understanding Your Anxious Self

In this first session, Laura and Jodie gently introduce what anxiety can look and feel like with a real and tangible understanding that all participants come from a variety of experiences. Together, we will look at the impact anxiety can have on how we behave and interact with different people as well as the internal struggles it can bring.  By offering an invitation to reflect on and recognise our own anxiety and the negative internal voices that drive it, they begin to consider ways to quieten those voices and fears both for ourselves and those we wish to support. 

Week 2: Nurturing Advocacy Confidence

The aim of this session is to break down attendees’ advocacy skills, then rebuild them so that facts and controlled emotions are used successfully.

Laura and Jodie share their experiences of advocating for their children – both good and bad and demonstrate how to use assertiveness skills effectively and remove emotive language.

They also share their “Top Tips” before, during and after transitions to ensure that all objectives are achieved.