Sue Hill

My name is Sue and I live in North Wales with my son. For nearly two decades I have found myself dealing with a variety of ongoing practical and emotional challenges that the majority of parents face when their child has ASD. My twenty year old son has ASD and PDA.

I have spent a long time searching for effective, appropriate and accessible educational and social support for my child. It has been a battle at times. For many years we have navigated the minefield that is the diagnostic process for ASD and the long journey to having the condition acknowledged.  Now, as we move forward, we continue to explore new ways to create a framework for living with ASD/PDA that is individualised and safe whilst being flexible, dynamic and positive. Supportive, ongoing strategies and good communication   continue to make the difference and to offer hope.

As my son got older I wanted to utilise my life experience and learn more about the diverse presentation of ASD/PDA.  This led me to work with the National Austistic Society. For three years I ran their Outreach Service.  Here we provided one to one support in the community for individuals with a diagnosis of ASD. The programme also supported family members.

During my time with the National Autistic Society it became increasingly evident to me that a significant number of referred clients who had a general ASD diagnosis did in fact have a better profile fit for PDA. Currently, there is no robust diagnostic tool available to identify PDA. Many individuals with this profile are therefore not being given the specific strategies that would better support them.

I currently work privately, supporting clients in their community. I really do understand how difficult it can be managing the practical problems, the conflicting emotions and issues that arise when living with ASD/PDA.  I am passionate about delivering, tailored holistic care and support to clients and their families. 

I am delighted to have the opportunity to present a number of workshops and specific PDA training to both families and professionals.   Participants will be offered practical and realistic strategies for their personal experiences and challenges in a relaxed and non-judgmental setting. 

Training I will be offering is:

·        Autism training for parents and carers

·        Parenting autistic children

·        PDA and challenging behaviour

 I look forward to meeting you soon and working with you!!