SLP 054: ODD and PDA

11 Quick Tips 

For Supporting Students with ODD/PDA 

1️⃣ Choose your battles. As soon as you find yourself in conflict ask “Is conflict going to resolve or escalate the situation.”

2️⃣ Try distracting the child to something else in a very calm voice

3️⃣ Try to catch the child doing LOTS of great things. Even if they sit still for one second, tell them “great sitting” as soon as they do the right thing! 

4️⃣ Let them be your special helper or give special jobs 

5️⃣ NEVER take what they say personally (yes we know that sometimes what they say is awful – killing, hurting, etc… but what they want the most is a reaction so don’t react!) 

6️⃣ Remember that strategies will wear out very quickly, and when they do, move on to another strategy 

7️⃣ Children with ODD have a strong resistance to change. Any changes can cause a lot of anxiety, so look at strategies to help them manage their anxiety 

8️⃣ Offer clear choices with set boundaries 

9️⃣​​ Break tasks and activities into small achievable steps 

1️⃣0️⃣ Find small ways to connect and build a relationship with them. Start with talking about things they love or are interested in 

1️⃣1️⃣ Use physical prompts rather than directly asking them to do something. E.g. point to what work they need to do, rather than telling them to do it. (refer to pg 6 on why visuals are so important)

Discussed in this episode

Definitions of ODD and PDA

Strategies to support students with ODD or PDA

Resources Discussed

Check out my other podcasts on ADHD:

• Episode 125: Setting up Learning From Home for Students with Autism Spectrum, ADHD, PDA & Neurodiversity
• Episode 115: What you can Learn from Lived Experiences of Autism and ADHD
• Episode 108: Understanding Screen Addiction with ADHD expert Simon Da Roza

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More Resources on ADHD & PDA