
PDA Research News
by Dr Judy Eaton21/11/2020 Attachment disorder, Autism, Blog, Clinician related, Missed or Misdiagnosed, PDA0 comments
As many people who have attended the various PDA conferences over the last couple of years may know, we as a team, decided back in 2016 to collate all of the information we collect as part of our assessment process, and analyse what we found. We realised we were in a very fortunate position; we were seeing a large number of children and young people who fitted the PDA profile, and this seemed...Learn More

The need for better diagnoses
by Dr Judy Eaton13/07/2020 Autism, Blog, Clinician related, Female presentation of Autism, Masking, Missed or Misdiagnosed0 comments
Adult diagnosis, mis-diagnosis, and experience of parenting for autistic women
Over the years I have spent a great deal of my working life as part of a multi-disciplinary team assessing both children and adults for Autism. When I first started work in the NHS in 2001, we saw very few girls or young women in our service. I have written before about my shock, when over ten years later, whilst...Learn More

Reflections on lockdown, and new ways of assessing
by Dr Judy Eaton02/06/2020 Autism, Blog, Child and Young Person related, Online Autism assessments, Parenting related0 comments
Like many clinical teams who have traditionally been involved in face to face interaction with people, the last two months have been a challenge for us. Factoring in this alongside lockdown and restrictions on travel have meant we have needed to work quickly to find new ways of supporting families.We have also seen a rise in the number of parents who have approached us because their child has...Learn More

The need to better understand how autism presents
by Dr Judy Eaton03/01/2020 Anxiety, Autism, Blog, Child and Young Person related, Clinician related, Parenting related, PDA, Teaching related2 comments
A new year dawns and it is always a good time to reflect upon the previous year. At Help for Psychology (in common with many other teams) we have seen a huge increase in the number of very complex young people we have been asked to work with, and distressing reports from parents about their struggle to access appropriate and timely services for both children and young adults.Some of the...Learn More

Transitioning to secondary school from primary school for Autistic children
by Dr Judy Eaton21/08/2019 Anxiety, Autism, Blog, Child and Young Person related, Parenting related, Teaching related2 comments
Article Updated – September 2022
Many children (especially girls) do not receive a formal diagnosis of Autism until they move to secondary (or High school) around the age of twelve. This often follows few (or fewer) difficulties at primary (or Elementary) school.The reasons for this are outlined in this article and may help explain why some children require additional support to make...Learn More

Living in a ‘five minute bubble’ – the impact of poor executive functioning.
by Dr Judy Eaton21/03/2019 ADHD, Autism, Blog, Child and Young Person related, Clinician related, Parenting related, Teaching related4 comments
Human babies are amongst the least developed, in terms of their ability to manage independently, of all mammals. They are born with only the primitive parts of their brain fully functioning, with the majority of brain development taking place throughout childhood (hence the soft spot or fontanelle at the top of a baby’s head which allows its brain to grow significantly during the first year...Learn More

The importance of correct early intervention for children with Autism
Like most people I have been following the recent news stories about young people with autism and the PDA profile carefully. The first case to be highlighted was that of Bethany, a seventeen year old girl with autism and the PDA profile. From what I can gather, Bethany’s family had tried (unsuccessfully) for years to access the most appropriate support for her. By reaching out and...Learn More
More things that teachers need to know about Autism
by Dr Judy Eaton31/08/2018 Autism, Blog, Child and Young Person related, Parenting related, Teaching related6 comments
Article updated – September 2022
An article published back in August 2018 by the National Autistic Society, titled ‘What teachers need to know about Autism’, was a very timely reminder that 70% of Autistic children will be attending mainstream schools. Hopefully those with, what I would call, more obvious features of Autism, will be going into (or back to) school with a support plan,...Learn More

Watch this space …
by Dr Judy Eaton02/03/2018 Attachment disorder, Autism, Blog, Clinician related, Parenting related, PDA, Teaching related15 comments
In the course of my clinical work, I meet with many parents who are seeking an explanation for their child’s difficulties. I am also privileged to have been allowed to join a number of closed Facebook groups where parents share their experiences of bringing up children with Autism and PDA. Without exception, these parents have been strong, resilient and determined to achieve the best possible...Learn More

Back to school for children with PDA
by Dr Judy Eaton07/09/2017 Autism, Blog, Child and Young Person related, Parenting related, PDA, Teaching related4 comments
It is the beginning of September again and parents all over the country are preparing for the start of the new school year. For some parents though, this is a time of increased stress, or even weary resignation, that once again they will have to face the daily battle of encouraging their child into school. For others, getting their child into school is a distant memory. These are the...Learn More