Hello, I'm

Nicola Reekie

I am a late, self-identified autistic ADHDer with a formal dyslexia and dyspraxia diagnosis.

I’m also a parent to two awesome boys who, through advocating for their needs, helped me understand my own neurodivergence.

This journey inspired me to create The PDA Space, a supportive community for families and professionals seeking deeper knowledge and understanding of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA).

My Passion for Wellness & Well-being

I wanted to take a moment to share something close to my heart—my passion for wellness and well-being.

Many people don’t know that one of my first jobs was managing a hydrotherapy pool. It was there that I truly saw the importance of therapeutic touch and how it could make a difference in people’s lives.

This experience inspired me to train as a reflexologist and later qualify in several other therapeutic approaches.

As a qualified therapist, I work one-to-one with families to support both them and their young person. Together, we problem-solve challenges and explore different ways of understanding sensory differences, navigating transitions, or adjusting language to create a more supportive environment.

I bring a blend of therapeutic approaches to my work, drawing from my qualifications in various holistic and coaching techniques, ensuring that support is tailored to each family’s unique needs.

In my one-to-one work with families, I help you move from feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and exhausted to finding more peace and understanding. A big part of this comes from learning about emotional regulation—both for yourself and your child.

When we understand our own nervous system and our child’s, we can start to make sense of certain behaviours. I’ll teach you practical techniques to support regulation, helping you feel more grounded. Since our senses play such a powerful role—sometimes leading to sensory overwhelm but also offering a pathway to calm—I’ll show you how to use them to create a more balanced, supportive environment for your family.

The more I’ve learned about my own nervous system, emotional regulation and the limbic system, the more I see how vital it is to share simple, practical ways to support well-being in daily life.

I know first-hand how hard it can be to carve out time for self-care. A pampering session isn’t always an option when life is overwhelming! That’s why I love helping parents and families integrate small, meaningful strategies into their everyday routines—understanding how our senses respond to stress and how we can use that knowledge to regulate and soothe our systems.

Looking back, my children have been my greatest teachers. There was a time when I heard someone say their kids were a gift, and I thought, you must be joking!—especially during the most challenging moments. But now, I see the truth in that.

They’ve invited me to parent in a completely different way; shifting not only how I support them but also how I see the world. This journey has made me reevaluate my values, beliefs, and approach to life in ways I never expected.

Supporting families through this process—especially when it feels overwhelming, emotional, and challenging—is something I find deeply rewarding. I love helping parents discover new ways to support their child while also finding ways to care for themselves.

If this resonates with you, know that you’re not alone. There are ways to navigate this journey with more understanding, balance, and support, and I’d love to walk that path with you.

Over the years, I’ve worked with many different communities, helping people find simple ways to manage stress and anxiety and bring more calm into their lives.

As time went on, I realised that I could support many more people by developing The PDA Space and I chose to prioritise this over my hands-on therapeutic work. This led to the first PDA Space Summit.

The Beginning Of Our Journey

After spending years seeking a diagnosis for our child and not getting anywhere, as parents we didn’t know where to go next.

I was exhausted. I'd been on the edge of burn out for so long.

Luckily, a chance conversation led to a correct diagnosis of PDA and thankfully I learned how to manage my own self-care and avoid a full break down. It wasn’t easy...

This inspired me to create The PDA Space.

When my son was young getting him to do anything was a struggle as I had not heard of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA).

If only we had known about Pathological Demand Avoidance and that he wasn't being deliberately difficult. He resisted and avoided everyday, ordinary, demands of life until we understood that he needed his own autonomy.

The PDA Space Summit was created to bring together the voices of the PDA community, uniting those with lived experience, advocacy, and professional insight.

This event is more than just a conference...

It’s a space where nobody feels alone.

We can’t change the past but we can change the future.

The changes we have put in to place as a family have been learning all about PDA. How to reduce demands and to become a low demand household.

One day I recorded everything I asked my son to do in the morning from the moment he got up; get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth, put shoes on and be out by a certain time. I realised that if you asked me to do those things I would find it overwhelming.

By changing our language using nondirective language and offering choices when he was younger for example which pair of shoes would you like to put on, when do you think you'll come and have your food, are you having a shower or a bath. Slightly changing the way we ask him things has made a huge difference. I remember when I used to sit quietly thinking of how to rephrase questions I asked him in different situations.

We still make mistakes at times as life constantly changes. It took months of applying these new strategies to create the changes.

Today things are different and he will do things without being asked. The biggest change was our thoughts and beliefs as parents of how we ought to parent a child. Very simple changes like letting go of the view that we all had to sit at the table together. Changing our language, reducing demands, looking after our wellbeing and understanding PDA have made a massive difference to our lives. Contributing to a calmer and more peaceful environment for us all.

Life still has its challenges. But now we know what we’re dealing with. We know what life is like for our son and we understand why we’re seeing certain behaviours. By learning about PDA we’ve been able to implement strategies and alter the way we communicate and it’s made our family life a great deal easier.

The more I talked about PDA, the more I realised there were many other parents in the same situation.

That’s where I saw the need to create a supportive community for parents of PDAers.

So, I developed The Portal within The PDA Space, a community for parents, carers, and professionals to share their experiences, strategies, and information on Pathological Demand Avoidance.

This includes supporting families with improving their understanding of children and adults with PDA as well as raising awareness among health professionals to enable speedier diagnoses.

A Wealth of Support at PDA Space

Whether you’re looking for free resources, ongoing support, or in-depth guidance, PDA Space is here for you.

• Free Wellbeing Hub, Coffee and Chat

• Free e-books & blogs with accessible insights to help you navigate PDA.
• The PDA Space Portal – Monthly support and a community that understands.
• Courses & workshops – Practical guidance on therapeutic parenting styles.
• The PDA Space Summit – Bringing together people with lived experience, advocates, and professionals to create real change.

If you have any questions, feel free to email us or stay connected via our newsletter.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Stay Connected with PDA Space

Join our email list and be the first to hear about upcoming free events, webinars, and the PDA Space Wellbeing Hub—held on the first Monday of each month.

We know how easy it is to miss things on social media, so our weekly newsletter keeps you in the loop with exciting events, conferences, and the PDA Space Summit.

We promise no spam—just valuable updates to support you on your journey.

Sign up here

Please check your junk/spam folders to ensure you receive our regular emails by adding [email protected] as a safe sender.