If you’re parenting a PDA child or teen and food feels scary right now, this episode is for you.

Many PDA kids experience food preoccupation, binge-like eating, weight changes, or rigid food preferences - often as a response to stress, loss of autonomy, or nervous system overload. In this episode, we explore food and eating through a nervous-system-informed, non-diet-culture lens, so you can respond with clarity instead of fear.

You’ll learn:

• Why binge-like eating and food rigidity are coping strategies, not character flaws
• How restriction, pressure, and “fixing” increase threat for PDA nervous systems
• Why felt safety must come before behavior change
• How dopamine, sensory regulation, and stress relief intersect with eating
• The subtle ways diet culture fuels parental panic, even when we think we’ve rejected it

This episode is especially supportive for parents familiar with nervous system parenting and concepts from Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: A Course for Parents by Robyn Gobbel (the base of my now-open PDA parent program!) but who feel activated, scared, or stuck when food and weight concerns arise.

You don’t have to solve this today. Regulation, curiosity, and compassion matter much more than control or perfection.

Scope & Safety Note

This episode discusses eating patterns that can emerge as nervous system responses to stress and demand, particularly in PDA children and teens.

This conversation is not intended to diagnose or rule out eating disorders and is not a substitute for medical, nutritional, or mental health care. Some children do experience eating disorders and require individualized, professional support.

If you have concerns about your child’s physical safety, growth, or medical risk, please seek appropriate professional care alongside listening.

Resources Mentioned

• Ellyn Satter Institute – Feeding relationships & division of responsibility
• Katja Rowell, MD – Child feeding & body trust
• SOS Feeding Therapy – Nervous-system-informed feeding
• STAR Institute – Feeding therapy & sensory integration

Interested in deeper support?

 Enrollment is opening next week for my 4-month nervous-system-informed program for parents of PDA children and teens. This is for parents who want practical guidance, regulation support, and low-demand strategies - without pressure or “fixing” their child.

The core of this program is Raising Kids With Big, Baffling Behaviors: A Course for Parents (created by Robyn Gobbel and adapted for PDA by Amy Kotha).

You can learn more and see if it feels like a fit by clicking HERE.

Traditional parenting programs often don’t work for PDA families - not because parents aren’t trying hard enough, but because the structure itself creates pressure.

In this episode, I share why I stopped offering a weekly parenting class and what flexible, PDA-informed support can look like instead.

What if the problem isn’t you - or your child - but the structure of the support you’ve been offered?

In this episode, I’m sharing why I stopped offering a traditional weekly parenting class for PDA families - and what I created instead.

After listening closely to PDA parents, it became clear that rigid schedules, fixed weekly meetings, and pressure to “keep up” often make support inaccessible - even when parents deeply want help.

Here, I talk about:

• Why traditional parenting programs often don’t work for PDA families
• How nervous system safety impacts a parent’s ability to access support
• Why flexibility and autonomy matter just as much for parents as they do for kids
• How I redesigned my parent education and coaching program to fit real life
• What it means to look at the environment - not the child or parent - when something isn’t working

The educational foundation of this work is the Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: A Course for Parents by Robyn Gobbel, which I offer under license and integrate through a PDA-informed lens with coaching support.

This program is offered on a rolling enrollment basis, with space for up to 12 families at a time. When the program is full, families are invited to join a waitlist until an opening becomes available.

Whether or not this program is the right fit for you, my hope is that this episode offers reassurance, permission, and a reminder that needing a different structure doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

To learn more or check current availability, visit my website: www.amykcoach.com/parentcourse

What happens when learning shuts down - at school, at home, everywhere?

In Part One of this two-part conversation, I’m joined by educator and consultant Danielle Rodda to talk about why learning becomes unsafe for so many PDA and neurodivergent kids.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why compliance-based education doesn’t work for PDA nervous systems
• How school trauma and chronic pressure shut learning down
• Why “more supports” still aren’t enough
• The emotional weight parents carry when nothing seems to help

This episode is about context and permission - understanding that when learning stops, it’s not because you or your child are failing.

Support for Parents: 12-Week Course Now Open

If this episode resonates, I want you to know you don’t have to navigate this alone!

Registration is currently open for the 12-week parent course:
 Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors, created by Robyn Gobbel and adapted specifically for PDA families and led by Amy Kotha.

✨ Bonus Session Included:
Danielle Rodda, Neurodivergent Consulting, will join us for a bonus session focused on PDA + learning, unlearning, and the return to learning. 

🔗 Registration is open now:  Click HERE for details!

To connect with Danielle Rodda:

@danielleroddaconsulting IG

Substack

daniellerodda.ca 

The holidays hit PDA parents harder - and it’s not your fault.
In this episode, we break down why judgment, comparison, overwhelm, and the “good mom” myth intensify this time of year - and what’s really happening inside your nervous system and your child’s.

You’ll learn:
 • why your child’s overwhelm triggers your own
 • how identity friction fuels shame
 • why holiday environments activate threat states
 • the parallel process between your nervous system and theirs
 • how comparison becomes a safety strategy
 • the difference between belief work and crisis work
 • how SOOTHE supports in-the-moment connection

And if you already know you want deeper support, the 12-week January program  (created by Robyn Gobbel) is the next step - where we get deeper, turn these nervous system tools into lived, everyday practice and gain parenting confidence.
Registration opens this week!  Limited enrollment.

Click HERE for Details + Registration!

* Mentioned in episode: 'Echolocation for worth' concept comes from the work of Kara Loewentheil

In this episode, Amy explores why some kids - especially adopted, autistic, or PDA-identifying kids - avoid talking about their story, whether it’s adoption, trauma, or a new diagnosis. Using personal experiences from raising her two daughters, she explains how these conversations activate the nervous system and why avoidance is often about safety, not refusal.

You’ll learn how to share your child’s story without triggering demand avoidance, how to “drip in” information gently over time, and why honesty paired with safety builds stronger identity and self-esteem. Amy also introduces her SAFE Story Framework to help parents approach disclosure with confidence and connection.

Mentioned in This Episode

• Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior workshop (created by Robyn Gobbel, adapted for PDA and led by Amy Kotha) - December 5th @ 12 PM ET
• Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors  - a Parent Course (created by Robyn Gobbel, adapted for PDA and led by Amy Kotha) the 12-week parenting experience beginning January 12th, 2026 

        Doors Open!!  Click HERE for details + registration!

In this episode, Amy speaks directly to the part of every parent that whispers, “You’ve got to fix this.”

Drawing from her own journey - from years of researching and even attending graduate school to understand her child’s behavior - she shares what she’s learned about the nervous system, safety, and why trying to “fix” our children keeps both parent and child stuck in a cycle of stress.

Listeners will hear how Amy reframed her approach to parenting a neurodivergent, PDA-profile child - and how understanding safety as the foundation for behavior can transform family life.

This episode is a powerful reminder that parenting isn’t about control; it’s about connection, curiosity, and co-regulation.

In This Episode, Amy Shares:

• Why the “fix-it” mindset is so common (and so exhausting) for parents
• How understanding the nervous system changes everything about behavior
• The role of safety and connection in regulating both parent and child
• How parents can step out of fear and into curiosity - even on hard days
• What it means to create “cues of safety” for both yourself and your child

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors – A Parent Course
  Developed by Robyn Gobbel, MSW, and adapted for PDA parents/led by Amy Kotha.
  ➡️ Click HERE for details + registration!
• Bonus Session inside the January 12-week course with Danielle Rodda, Neurodivergent Consulting:
  Exploring unschooling and homeschooling for PDA kids - how to lower pressure, rebuild trust, and make learning feel safe again.

Connect with Amy:

• Instagram → @amykcoach
• Website → www.amykcoach.com

In this heartfelt episode, Amy opens up about a recent family crisis that brought her to her knees - and the quiet resilience that helped her rise again. Through personal reflection, she explores the science of co-regulation, the role of community in healing, and what clinical psychologist Dr. Matt Zakreski calls “psychological capital” - hope as something we can actively build through small acts of connection.

You’ll leave with compassion, clarity, and a practical 5-step plan for crisis moments - so you can respond with love, not fear.

Resources Mentioned:

Dr. Matt Zakresky — In the Business of Hope: How to Keep Believing When Things Feel Impossible

Dr. Mona Delahooke — The Developmental Iceberg: Looking Below the Surface of Challenging Behaviors

Crisis & Suicide Lifeline (U.S.) — Call or text 988

Find a Helpline (International) — findahelpline.com

📄 Download Amy’s ND-Accommodating Family Safety Plan - a neurodivergent-affirming guide to help you stay grounded and prepared during emotional storms.
 ❤️ Get your free copy by clicking HERE

 Join the waitlist for Amy’s new 12-week parent course:
 “Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors - a course for parents” - created by Robyn Gobbel and led by Amy Kotha.  Adapted for families raising sensitive, PDA, or neurodivergent kids who need a new kind of understanding.
Join the Waitlist → Click HERE

 Why is hygiene such a struggle for PDA autistic kids? 

And why does pushing only make it harder?

In this episode of the PDA Parenting Podcast, Amy explores the real reasons behind resistance to toothbrushing, showering, and other daily self-care routines. You’ll learn how nervous system responses, sensory sensitivities, and demand avoidance all play a role, and why it’s never about laziness or willfulness. 

Amy shares practical, creative strategies that ease the pressure, support autonomy, and restore connection - so parents can move away from shame and toward compassion. 

Whether it’s silly characters like “Ms. Helga,” salon visits, or scaffolding with small steps, this conversation offers hope, empathy, and tools for families walking this path.

Want more support? Join the waitlist for my upcoming 12-week parent course, Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors (developed by Robyn Gobbel, led by me, Amy K). You’ll be the first to know when doors open! 

👉 Join the waitlist here:  https://amykcoach.myflodesk.com/bafflingbehaviors

Parenting a PDA teen means our role is always evolving - and nowhere is that more clear than during big life transitions like starting college, a first job, or moving away from home. In this episode of The PDA Parenting Podcast, Amy Kotha shares how scaffolding, cues of safety, and collaborative strategies can help PDA teens and young adults navigate overwhelming changes without collapsing under the weight of demands.

Drawing on neuroscience, polyvagal theory, and her own experience supporting her PDA autistic daughter as she transitioned into college life, Amy explores:

• What scaffolding really means for PDA kids, teens, and young adults
• Why cues of safety* (sensory, emotional, relational) are not extras but nervous system essentials
• How to lower demands and support autonomy through collaboration
• What these transitions mean for parents, whose nervous systems are also adapting and shifting

Whether your child is starting a new school year, leaving home, or facing any big change, this episode will help you reframe scaffolding as a strength - a bridge toward growth, safety, and connection.

Because while this path is hard, your presence, your love, your being - is enough.

* Gobbel, R. (Host). (2020–present). The Parenting After Trauma Podcast [Audio podcast]. Robyn Gobbel, LLC. https://robyngobbel.com/podcast