EP 19 | Exploring the PDA Profile
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
Release Date: 11/11/2024
EP 26 | Co-constructing a Classroom Agreement
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
This season, we’re all about bite-sized professional development to help you start the 2025 school year strong - a back to school series, if you will. Join me each Wednesday and Friday in January as I explore a range of topics that will help you start your year with confidence, intention and clarity. In today’s episode, I unpack classroom agreements and how we can co-construct these with the children in our class. I cover: Why classroom agreements are much more than a list of rules. The importance of balancing expectations to be firm, fair, flexible, and developmentally appropriate for...
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EP 25 | Essential Tips for Day One of a New School Year
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
This season, we’re all about bite-sized professional development to help you start the 2025 school year strong - a back to school series, if you will. Join me each Wednesday and Friday in January as I explore a range of topics that will help you start your year with confidence, intention and clarity. In today’s episode, we consider the elements needed for a calm and successful first day back. I cover: Planning for logistics and setup: How to organise booklist items. Delegating roles. Navigating tears when children separate from their caregivers. Structuring your first-day schedule. Ideas...
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EP 24 | Nailing Your Classroom Routines From Day One
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
This season, we’re all about bite-sized professional development to help you start the 2025 school year strong - a back to school series, if you will. Join me each Wednesday and Friday in January as I explore a range of topics that will help you start your year with confidence, intention and clarity. In today’s episode, I walk you through how to establish routines that will transform your classroom into a calm, predictable, and thriving environment. I cover: What routines are and why they’re essential for classroom success. How routines build a sense of safety and belonging for...
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EP 23 | Smooth Transitions: Welcoming Children + Families Into Your Classroom
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
This season, we’re all about bite-sized professional development to help you start the 2025 school year strong - a back to school series, if you will. Join me each Wednesday and Friday in January as I explore a range of topics that will help you start your year with confidence, intention and clarity. In today’s episode, I walk you through how to make transitions meaningful and effective with a well thought out plan for welcoming children and families into the classroom. I cover: What effective transitions are. Why transitions set the tone for a successful school year. Essential...
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EP 22 | Progressive Mealtimes: Yay or Nay?
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
On today’s episode I speak with Elise Disher, early childhood consultant and advocate for thoughtful, child-centered practices. Elise dives into the concept of progressive mealtimes in early learning settings, breaking down how they work, why they matter, and how to implement them in ways that are both meaningful and practical. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone looking to reimagine mealtime routines as opportunities for connection and learning. Elise and I speak about: 🌸 What progressive mealtimes are and how they differ from traditional group mealtimes. 🌸 How...
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EP 21 | Supporting Challenging Behaviour With a Trauma Lens
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
On today’s episode I speak with Kathy Warwick, the Head of the TraCS Trauma Consultancy Program at the Alannah & Madeline Foundation. Kathy brings deep compassion and expertise to her work and, in our conversation, she shares powerful insights on viewing children’s behaviour through a trauma lens. This is a rich discussion for anyone supporting children in early childhood settings. Kathy and I discuss: 🌸 The importance of adopting a trauma lens when working with children. 🌸 Recognising that challenging behaviour often signals a child’s experience of fear or stress. 🌸...
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EP 20 | Fostering Children’s Resilience
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
On today’s episode, I speak with Jess, founder of Raising Resilience. Jess brings a wealth of insight and compassion as we explore what resilience really means for young children. Together, we dive into how educators and parents can support children through adversity, build emotional strength, and foster a growth mindset. Jess’s expertise is a gift for anyone passionate about nurturing resilience in little ones. Jess and I discuss: 🌸What resilience truly means and how misconceptions about "toughening up" can harm children. 🌸The role of the window of tolerance in resilience....
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EP 19 | Exploring the PDA Profile
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
On today’s episode I speak with Claire Britton, a neuro-affirming occupational therapist and Director of Neuroinclusion. Claire brings incredible insight into PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy) and how a neuro-affirming lens can help us support neurodivergent children better. She explains why PDA often requires a different approach to typical behaviour strategies and shares practical ways to help children feel safe and understood. Claire and I discuss: 🌸 What the PDA profile (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is. 🌸 The significance of understanding...
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EP 18 | Honouring Children’s Agency
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
On today’s episode I speak with Lisa Burman - an author, speaker, professional learning facilitator and every-day researcher of childhood and learning. Lisa has strong roots in true early childhood pedagogy whose work is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy and guided by honouring children’s rights. This discussion is a deep exploration of early childhood values and principles. Lisa and I discuss: 🌸 What is meant by a ‘culture of agency.’ 🌸 Shared power and democratic classrooms. 🌸 Common misconceptions of agency (hint: it’s not something that we ‘give’...
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EP 17 | Rethinking Readiness in Early Childhood
The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast
On today’s episode I speak with Nathan Wallis, a neuroscience educator on a mission to share the value of brain development in early childhood to the masses. In this discussion, Nathan challenges the concept of "readiness" and advocates for focussing on the present moment rather than preparing them for future academic demands. Earlier and faster isn’t better. Nathan and I discuss: 🌸Readiness and developmental needs. 🌸Sequential brain development. 🌸The impact of cultural norms on education. 🌸The role of play in early childhood. 🌸Dangers of early academic pressure....
info_outlineOn today’s episode I speak with Claire Britton, a neuro-affirming occupational therapist and Director of Neuroinclusion. Claire brings incredible insight into PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy) and how a neuro-affirming lens can help us support neurodivergent children better. She explains why PDA often requires a different approach to typical behaviour strategies and shares practical ways to help children feel safe and understood.
Claire and I discuss:
🌸 What the PDA profile (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is.
🌸 The significance of understanding PDA through a neuro-affirming approach and why the term "Pervasive Drive for Autonomy" is preferred.
🌸 Understanding the difference between PDA and typical demand avoidance.
🌸 Common behaviours associated with PDA, including the different "fight, flight, freeze, fawn" responses.
🌸 Supports for PDAers, including the critical role of reducing and adapting demands to support regulation.
🌸 We also talk a load about neuro-affirming practice and supports in general.
Claire Britton is the Director and Principal Occupational Therapist at Neuroinclusion. She is passionate about educating, inspiring and empowering Australian clients and therapists to optimise best practice to facilitate their success doing their daily activities. She works with neurodivergent clients across the lifespan and also runs The Neurodivergent Occupational Therapist instagram with over 27,000 followers. She is a speaker, podcast guest, neurodiversity advocate and clinical mentor to therapists across Australia. She brings her own personal experiences being neurodivergent with over 9 years of clinical experiences to consistently provide the highest quality neurodiversity-affirming practice. Her extensive experience as an occupational therapist includes schools, not-for-profits, private practice and in community settings in Perth, Melbourne and Cape Town.
Connect with Claire:
💫 Send her an email: [email protected]
💫 Find her on Instagram: @neuroinclusion.au
💫 Find her on Facebook: Neuroinclusion
💫 Connect with her on LinkedIn: Claire Britton
💫 Visit her website: Neuroinclusion
Join the Little Bloom community:
💫 Download a *free* copy of The Guidance Toolkit
💫 Send me an email: [email protected]
💫 Find me on Instagram: @littlebloom.consultancy
💫 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Danica See
💫 Visit my website: Little Bloom Consultancy