The Wild Ways: Coffee, Chaos, And Compassion

When police become involved during moments of extreme distress, what happens when PDA is misunderstood as “bad behaviour”?

In this episode of Coffee, Chaos and Compassion, Rosalind speaks with a parent about her family’s repeated experiences with the police while supporting her autistic teenage son with PDA. They explore escalation, inconsistent responses, the impact of anxiety and uncertainty, and the difference that understanding, low-demand communication and reasonable adjustments can make.

A thoughtful conversation about lived experience, advocacy, training, and why compassionate, informed responses matter.

Lauren knew something wasn’t right. But knowing it, and getting other people to listen, were two very different things.

In this episode, she joins Suzan Issa and Rosalind Walker to talk honestly about the years spent fighting for the right support for her son, the isolation of not feeling believed, the emotional cost on the whole family, and what it meant when things finally began to change.

A conversation about validation, SEND, trauma, determination and the difference it can make when someone simply says: we hear you.