About the Training: Understanding the Persistent Drive for Autonomy

Understanding the Persistent Drive for Autonomy is a specialist training for General Practitioners, offering a neurodiversity-affirming framework for understanding PDA through a nervous system and trauma-informed lens.

Children, teenagers and adults with a Persistent Drive for Autonomy often present in GP settings with high levels of distress, anxiety, shutdown, burnout, school burnout or recurrent physical health concerns linked to chronic stress. Without an understanding of PDA, these presentations can be misunderstood as oppositional behaviour, non-compliance, or treatment resistance.

Delivered by Sorcha Rice, an Autistic and ADHD occupational therapist with a PDA profile, this training integrates lived experience with clinical expertise to support GPs in recognising PDA as a survival response rather than a behavioural choice.

The session explores:

• PDA as a nervous system-based drive for safety and autonomy

• How chronic stress, masking and demand overwhelm impact physical and mental health

• Why traditional compliance-based approaches can increase distress

• Practical ways GPs can support regulation, safety and autonomy within clinical interactions

This training aims to support GPs to feel more confident and compassionate when working with PDAers and their families, improving clinical relationships and reducing the risk of escalation, misinterpretation, or unmet need.