Why They Can Eat It One Day and Not the Next: Understanding Fluctuating Capacity Around Food

Many PDAers experience significant fluctuations in their relationship with food and eating. A food they enjoyed yesterday may feel impossible today. Eating that happens comfortably at home may not happen at school. Hunger does not always lead to eating, and pressure often makes things harder rather than easier.

For parents, carers, and educators, this can feel confusing, worrying, and emotionally exhausting. This is especially true when eating differences are misunderstood as behaviour, refusal, control, or poor routine.

This webinar explores food and eating through the lens of fluctuating capacity, nervous system safety, autonomy, sensory experience, and demand. Together, we will unpack why eating is never “just eating” for many PDA and neurodivergent young people. We’ll look at how stress, sensory load, and environmental demands can significantly impact access to food.

Designed for parents, carers, educators, and professionals.

Laura Hellfeld, Neurodivergent Nurse Consulting; RN, MSN, PHN, CNL, Sleep Consultant

Laura is a neurodivergent health educator, independent Nurse & Sleep Consultant, and author dedicated to reshaping how self-care is supported within neurodivergent and disabled communities. Their work centres on accessible approaches to food and eating, sleep, hygiene, toileting, puberty, burnout and distress behaviours. Laura supports individuals, families, educators, and professionals to better understand and respond to needs through compassionate, neuro-affirming approaches.

They are also a Patron for Autistic Inclusive Meets (AIM) and member of the Autistic Burnout Network (ABN).

Drawing from lived experience and public health service, Laura creates inclusive spaces, hosts community events, and co-authors books like Gabby’s Glimmers, Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic People, and is soon publishing a parent-focused series beginning with toileting and followed by hygiene and self-care.

The Embodied Double Empathy Problem

In this presentation, Kay discusses the chapter in Dr Damian Milton’s Double Empathy Reader, which she co-authored with Jill Corbyn, the Director of Neurodiverse Connection.

This work moves ‘the problem’ beyond the mind and we focus on the less explored experience of what we call the Embodied Double Empathy Problem.

When people with different experiences of embodiment (emotionality, sensation, feelings, nervous system, and regulation states) interact with each other, they may struggle to empathise and comprehend the experience of each other.

Currently, there is little understanding, awareness, or discussion of different experiences of embodiment.  This chapter and presentation start to address this.

Kay is an experienced educator with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and a theologian holding a Master’s degree (MA) focused on embodiment spirituality, needs, and care. A published author, she specialises in embodied education, and the bottom-up ‘fleshy knowing’ rooted in the lived Neurodivergent experience of the bodymind.

Her work as an Associate at Neurodiverse Connection is centred on neuro-inclusive, nervous-system-focused, trauma-informed, relational, and creative approaches to training and resources. Kay’s approach aims to enhance individual and collective well-being, while also fostering positive change in organisational culture and outcomes.

Threatening, Hitting, Kicking: A Reflection of Conduct or Capacity?

It is genuinely difficult not to take challenging behaviour personally. When you’re on the receiving end of threats, thrown objects, or tackles, it’s easy to see the child as the adversary.

What if the child is actually desperately begging you to be on their team against the world? This webinar looks at challenging body and vocal behaviours and reframes them from a PDA-affirming lens.

Almost every “bad behaviour” is actually the body’s attempt to reach for self-regulating input, and doing so in a clumsy way that can be redirected

This webinar will benefit any grownup who works or parents children that exhibit externalising behaviours such as hitting, throwing, kicking, swearing, etc

Kelsie “Mick” Olds, also known as “The Occuplaytional Therapist,” is an occupational therapist who shares every day with thousands of people online - parents, teachers, fellow professionals, and adults healing their own childhoods - about the power of play in children's lives.

 Mick has worked with kids in all kinds of settings: from rural Oklahoma, to an Air Force base in England, to their current home in Geelong, Victoria. Their experiences across different countries and systems give them a unique perspective on how healthcare and education shape childhood.

The Neurodivergent Neuropsychologist's Guide to Reframing PDA: From Pathological Demand Avoidance to Pilot's Drive for Autonomy

Reframing PDA through the Neuro-Dynamic Navigation Formula to foster autonomy, clinical understanding, and connection.

This webinar introduces the Neurodynamic Navigator System™ to help reframe Pathological Demand Avoidance as a "Pilot's Drive for Autonomy."

It will benefit the audience by providing clinical frameworks, utilizing the Neuro-Dynamic Quotient™ (NDQ), and offering practical navigation tools to better understand and support neurodivergent individuals.

It will benefit parents, caregivers, and professionals by providing a positive, actionable framework and shared vocabulary to support neurodivergent individuals.

Dr. Jennifer I. Huffman, PhD, ABPdN is an autistic PDAer, Board-Certified Pediatric Neuropsychologist, and US based Cliniical Psychologist. She is the founder of The Neuropsychology Center, the Vice President of Clinical Operations at The Baby Fold, and the creator of the Neurodynamic Navigator System™. She uniquely bridges 25 years of professional clinical expertise with a lifetime of lived experience. 

Dr. Jennifer is dedicated to reframing traditional behavioral models through an autonomy-centered, collaborative lens. She redefines the PDA profile as a "Pilot’s Drive for Autonomy," shifting the focus away from compliance and toward real-time nervous system capacity.

Crucially, she emphasizes that our job is to support changes in the environment, rather than trying to "fix" the individual. Recognizing that safety, capacity, and motivation are not static traits but dynamic states that fluctuate moment by moment, her work provides a practical roadmap for identifying what is actually possible for a PDA individual in any given instance.

To make this actionable, she has created a "heads-up display" version for parents and teachers, giving them a real-time, visual way to monitor capacity, alongside a calculable formula designed to pinpoint exactly which environmental and relational variables can be adjusted to help the PDAer thrive.

Her pioneering work includes the development of the Neuro-Dynamic Quotient™ (NDQ) formula (NDQ = (DS X DC) + M), a universal framework that is the heart of the Neurodynamic Navigator System.

This formula maps out why a PDAer fluctuates between thriving in effortless flow states, which she calls "Blue Sky Windows", and dropping into overwhelming crisis or meltdowns, which she calls "Red Zones." Rather than viewing these shifts as random behaviors, the model shows that a PDAer’s capacity is completely dependent on their surroundings: a child's natural drive and motivation (M) can only come online when it is added to a baseline of strong real-time Dynamic Safety (DS) and deep, authentic Dynamic Connection (DC).

An accomplished author and speaker, she has written Unlocking the Power of My PDA Brain and The Neurodynamic Navigator book series, and recently launched the Neurodynamic Navigator CoPilot mobile app to provide families with real-time, actionable support.

Dr. Jennifer's work speaks directly to this year's summit theme of Capacity & Capability by providing families, educators, and professionals with the concrete tools needed to navigate the delicate tension between external expectations and real-time nervous system safety.

She lives in Illinois with her husband, three children, and a lively household of two dogs, three cats, and a turtle named Dave.

Low Demand Learning Outside the School System

Put your fears at ease and discover how pressure sensitive, demand avoidant, highly anxious children learn when they actively resist being taught.

Explore unschooling principles under these unique circumstances and equip yourself for the joys as well as the reality of facilitating learning for your neuro divergent child.

Families feeling the pressure of the mainstream school system will find inspiration and relief in discovering a different way to learn.

Say goodbye to educational pressure and hello to a life of learning.

Heidi Steel is the founder of Live Play Learn, the Unschooling Village Hub, and author of the book School Isn’t for Everyone and What You Can Do Instead.

She has over 15 years’ experience as a parent of four always unschooled children and a deep understanding that children learn best when given the space to follow their natural curiosity.

Children do well if they can. Dr. Ross Greene explains why behaviour is a sign that demands have exceeded a child’s current capacity, and how Collaborative and Proactive Solutions helps families, educators and professionals develop lasting capability by understanding, listening and solving problems together.

Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., is best known for his New York Times bestselling author of the influential books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost and Found, and Raising Human Beings. Dr. Ross Greene is the originator of the model of care described in those books, now called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS).

Dr. Greene was on the faculty at Harvard Medical School for over 20 years, and is now Founding Director of the non-profit Lives in the Balance, which provides a vast array of free, web-based resources on the CPS model.

He has appeared in a wide range of media, including The Oprah Show, Good Morning America, The Morning Show, National Public Radio, Mother Jones magazine, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and the Boston Globe. Dr Greene lectures and consults widely throughout the world and lives in Portland, Maine.

Caring for Our Capacity

As families, we can spend so much of our capacity making sure everybody else’s needs are met that we lose sight of what the pressure is creating for us, what we are carrying, and what our own nervous system and capacity may be needing.

In this webinar, Nicola explores the difference between capacity and capability, and why being able to do something does not always mean we have the capacity to access it in that moment.

Using a series of simple visual frameworks and everyday examples, she helps us think differently about what sits underneath our capacity, what quietly drains it, what can give something back, and how easily urgency, adrenaline and pushing through can be mistaken for coping.

The session looks at the invisible load we often carry, including anticipation, advocacy, decision making, expectations and the internal pressure of what we think we should be managing. It also explores what happens when some of that load simply cannot be removed.

Rather than making wellbeing another task to add to the list, Nicola shares practical, accessible ways to notice and support our capacity within the life we are already living, including reducing demands on ourselves, sensory support, connection, glimmers, joy and creativity.

At the heart of the session is a different question to carry away:

What would caring for my capacity look like today?

Understanding PDA doesn't magically remove relationship challenges, but it can completely change how we understand them. In this honest conversation, Amanda shares her lived experience of navigating a relationship with an autistic partner with a PDA profile and raising a fully neurodivergent family.

Together, we'll explore how understanding our own neurobiology, communicating our needs, and working with our brains, not against them, can strengthen relationships, reduce misunderstandings, and create more compassionate connections.

We'll also challenge the myths around "overdiagnosis" and explore why self-understanding is the key to thriving, not just surviving.

In this session, Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC, explores why “they can do it” is not the same as “they can access it.”

Through a PDA-affirming lens, this presentation unpacks the difference between capability and capacity, explains why PDA learners may appear inconsistent across contexts, and challenges common interpretations of refusal, defiance, manipulation, or lack of motivation.

Attendees will learn practical ways to reduce demand load, protect autonomy, and create access to communication, participation, and learning.

Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC, is a late-diagnosed Autistic and ADHD therapist, military spouse, and mother of two neurodivergent children.

She empowers families in special education advocacy and trains schools in neuroaffirming practices. Passionate about protecting mental health, she bridges therapy and education to uplift and support neurodivergent learners.

Lyndsay Critchlow is a SEND Advocate who also has 16 years of lived experience within the SEND world.

Lyndsay has 3 beautiful neurodivergent boys who all have EHCP and 2 attend Independent specialist schools. Lyndsay secured these by fighting the system and also representing herself at the tribunal.

Lyndsay has done all 3 levels of IPSEA law training, she has worked for an Advocacy company previously, and she has embarked on securing a bachelors with honours in law. Lyndsay is fully insured, DBS checked, and registered with the ICO.

When Difference is Misread as Risk: Autism, PDA and Safeguarding:

Cathie Long is an award-winning Independent Social Worker and Expert Witness with over 32 years’ experience. She specialises in autism, PDA, neurodiversity-affirming practice, and safeguarding.

Cathie is currently completing a PhD by published works on autistic mothers, child protection, and relational approaches in social work and psychotherapy.

When Difference is Misread as Risk: Autism, PDA and Safeguarding: Exploring how neurodivergent communication, advocacy and distress can be misunderstood within professional systems.

My child can talk for England, but some days he doesn't say a word, at other times he just growls

Libby Hill, Consultant SLT explores the reasons for this and why a dynamic assessment including getting information from parents has to be part of the speech Language and Communication assessment.

Libby, will look at language processing in PDA-ers to examine the dynamic nature of their experience. It is a fascinating topic and one we need to understand so we can explain to others.'

Libby will talk about the dynamic nature of language processing in PDA

Libby specialises in more complex speech, language and communication situations especially for EHCP and tribunal such as Autism, PDA and selective mutism. We are neuro-divergent affirming.

Libby has been a Speech and Language Therapist for 37 years this year and is as passionate and determined to make a difference as she ever was.

Fluctuating Capacity – Spoken about with ease but how deeply is it understood and how much does it impact our capabilities.

This webinar looks at the realities and basis of fluctuating capacity and how this relates to PDAers particularly and includes some potential supports to consider developing.

Parents carers and educators could all benefit from this webinar to improve their understanding and acceptance of the realities of fluctuating capacity.

I help parents/carers in neurodivergent households rediscover their compass by supporting them to recognise the deep knowledge they carry about their young person.

I strengthen that knowledge until it becomes confident advocacy not exhausted guesswork. I support overwhelmed education staff become experts in affirming neurodivergent young people so that classrooms are calmer for everyone.

I am AuDHD and parent neurodivergent teens.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

Chris is a national and international speaker on autism issues, and the multi-award-winning writer behind Autistic Not Weird. He is also the author of the Underdogs novels, a near-future war series featuring autistic and otherwise neurodiverse heroes.

Building the Capacity of Those Who Have PDA Through Emotional Wellbeing

This workshop explores how emotional wellbeing can strengthen the capacity of people with a PDA profile by reducing anxiety, building trust, and creating environments that feel safe, flexible, and respectful of autonomy.

Drawing on established PDA guidance that emphasises low-arousal, relationship-based, and collaborative approaches, the session considers how distress, sensory pressures, and everyday demands can affect participation, learning, and connection.

Participants will gain a clearer understanding of PDA, reflect on barriers to wellbeing, and consider practical strategies that support regulation, resilience, and positive engagement across home, education, and community settings.

The workshop is designed to leave attendees with greater confidence in recognising need, responding compassionately, and fostering conditions in which individuals with PDA can thrive.

Nick Wood is a counsellor, supervisor and trainer, and co-founded PlatyPLUS therapeutic and support services CIC with his wife, Corrina Wood, who has spoken at previous PDA Space conferences.

He brings both professional expertise and lived experience to his work, offering insight that is grounded, compassionate and practical. As a father of four autistic children, two of whom have a PDA profile, Nick has a deep personal understanding of the joys and challenges many families face.

His approach is warm, thoughtful and rooted in real-world experience, helping others feel understood, supported and empowered through learning, reflection and compassionate support.

This conversation includes a parent's account of her daughter reaching a point of crisis, including suicidal ideation, as a result of sustained educational pressure and insufficient support.

This is shared in the context of her daughter's recovery and her current flourishing. It is included because these experiences are real and common, and need to be named rather than hidden.

Michaela Silsby is an Autistic & ADHD advocate, writer, poet and mum of two autistic and ADHD children. She uses her  lived experience to speak openly about SEND, neurodivergence, PDA, masking, school trauma and the realities families face. 

Through words and advocacy, she aims to make people feel seen, heard and less alone while challenging the systems that fail them.

Why They Can Eat It One Day and Not the Next: Understanding Fluctuating Capacity Around Food

Many PDAers experience significant fluctuations in their relationship with food and eating. A food they enjoyed yesterday may feel impossible today. Eating that happens comfortably at home may not happen at school. Hunger does not always lead to eating, and pressure often makes things harder rather than easier.

For parents, carers, and educators, this can feel confusing, worrying, and emotionally exhausting. This is especially true when eating differences are misunderstood as behaviour, refusal, control, or poor routine.

This webinar explores food and eating through the lens of fluctuating capacity, nervous system safety, autonomy, sensory experience, and demand. Together, we will unpack why eating is never “just eating” for many PDA and neurodivergent young people. We’ll look at how stress, sensory load, and environmental demands can significantly impact access to food.

Designed for parents, carers, educators, and professionals.

Laura Hellfeld, Neurodivergent Nurse Consulting; RN, MSN, PHN, CNL, Sleep Consultant

Laura is a neurodivergent health educator, independent Nurse & Sleep Consultant, and author dedicated to reshaping how self-care is supported within neurodivergent and disabled communities. Their work centres on accessible approaches to food and eating, sleep, hygiene, toileting, puberty, burnout and distress behaviours. Laura supports individuals, families, educators, and professionals to better understand and respond to needs through compassionate, neuro-affirming approaches.

They are also a Patron for Autistic Inclusive Meets (AIM) and member of the Autistic Burnout Network (ABN).

Drawing from lived experience and public health service, Laura creates inclusive spaces, hosts community events, and co-authors books like Gabby’s Glimmers, Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic People, and is soon publishing a parent-focused series beginning with toileting and followed by hygiene and self-care.

ND Nurse Consulting Webpage

Laura’s Newsletter & Articles on Substack

Flush Forward!

Gabby’s Glimmers: An Affirming Story of an Autistic Child and their Favourite Food

Creating Safe Spaces for Autistic People

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BlueSky

The Shifting Spaces of Safety model and tool I’ve developed was in response to those situations where the family, clinician, teacher, and/or the PDAer themselves feels stuck in a low demand rut that is no longer supportive and beneficial. It provides a visual representation of how to support the PDAer to grow capacity in a safe and neuro-affirming way.

This will benefit anyone who supports a PDAer including parents, carers, teachers, educators, therapists or is a PDAer themselves

This webinar is explaining a visual model and tool I created to support those who support PDAers (and for PDAers themselves) to understand how capacity can be impacted by shifting spaces of safety, how to recognise and be responsive to those differing states of capacity.

Christina Keeble is an AuDHD mother of two, and Neurodiversity and Educational Consultant.

She spent over 20 years educating and supporting neurodivergent children and their families as an early childhood and primary teacher.

Christina provides professional development, mentoring, coaching with SRF, and consultancy services to ECEC services, schools, businesses, and government organisations.