PDA
Profile
Wheel

A simple visual tool for understanding the child in front of you

No two PDA children have exactly the same profile.

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One child’s distress might be loud and impossible to miss. Another might become quiet, compliant, frozen or highly masked. Even the same child can respond differently depending on the setting, the demand, how safe they feel and how much capacity they have available that day.

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The PDA Profile Wheel helps you bring those different pieces together in one place. By colouring the wheel, you can create a visual snapshot of where your child feels pressure, what makes that pressure grow and how they may respond when things become too much.

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It is not about measuring how “PDA” your child is. It is about noticing their individual pattern and using that understanding to offer more helpful, responsive support.

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What does the wheel explore?

The wheel includes 16 areas grouped into four themes:

• where demands are felt

• what increases pressure

• how avoidance may work

• how strain may appear

 

These include everyday requests, transitions, uncertainty,

loss of autonomy, being watched or assessed, masking, withdrawal,

outward distress and recovery needs.

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Colouring further outwards shows that an area currently has a

stronger influence on your child’s experience or support needs.

There is no total score, threshold or “correct” finished shape. 

The shape that appears belongs to your child.

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What’s included?

This is a three-page downloadable PDF containing:

• a parent and carer guide explaining what the wheel shows

• clear instructions for completing and interpreting it

• a brief explanation of the research and thinking behind the resource

• the printable 16-section PDA Profile Wheel

• space to record the context and date

 

You can print the wheel more than once if you would like to explore different settings or revisit it as your child’s needs and capacity change.​

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How can I use it?

You might complete the wheel as a general picture of your child, or choose a particular context such as home education, self-care, leaving the house, appointments or spending time with other adults.

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For each section, colour from the centre outwards to show how strongly it currently influences your child. If possible, invite your child to contribute in whatever way feels manageable for them. They might colour it themselves, talk while you complete it or simply tell you when something does not feel right.

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Once it is finished, look at the overall shape. Which areas stand out? Do particular demands seem to connect with certain responses? What changes when your child has more autonomy, greater predictability or enough time to recover?

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The value is not in producing a perfect wheel. It is in the conversations and understanding that can grow from it.

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Who is it for?

The PDA Profile Wheel has been created for:

• parents and carers who want to understand their child more clearly

• home-educating families exploring how pressure affects access to learning

• educators and SENCOs looking beyond surface behaviour

• therapists and professionals supporting PDA children

• families preparing for meetings, assessments or conversations about support

 

It may be especially helpful when a child’s distress is internalised, masked or easily overlooked.

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Why might it help?

It can be difficult to explain a complex child in a short conversation with an educator or professional. ​You might know that your child can manage something in one setting but not another, or that apparent compliance does not necessarily mean they feel safe. You may also be trying to explain why praise, observation, uncertainty or even activities they enjoy can create pressure.

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A completed wheel offers a clear, one-page starting point. It can help other adults see that your child’s responses are connected to their experience of demands, safety and autonomy, rather than simply viewing them as difficult or unwilling. ​It can also help you recognise things you may not have connected before.

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An important note

The PDA Profile Wheel is a non-diagnostic reflection tool. It cannot confirm or rule out PDA, provide a severity score or replace a professional assessment. It should never be used to decide whether a child is “PDA enough” or eligible for support.

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Its purpose is much simpler: to inform understanding, improve communication and help adults think more carefully about the support a child may need.

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Download the PDA Profile Wheel

The PDA Profile Wheel is available to purchase as an instant 3-page digital download.

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It is also included in my paid Substack subscription, alongside monthly downloadable resources, book lists and articles for parents and professionals supporting neurodivergent children.