When Learning Shuts Down: PDA, School Trauma, and Why Traditional Education Stops Working (Part 1)

When Boundaries Break Down: Parenting PDA Kids Through Unpredictability, Nervous System Safety & Letting Go of Control

After a break for health and recovery, Amy returns with a powerful conversation on boundaries, unpredictability, and nervous system regulation. If you’ve ever felt like you’re on an emotional rollercoaster - hopeful one moment and overwhelmed the next - this episode will help you understand why unpredictability feels so destabilizing and how to stay steady through it. Amy explores the connection between control, codependency patterns, and parenting, and reframes boundaries as internal anchors that help you stay regulated without losing connection to your child. You’ll walk away with a new perspective on capacity vs. consistency, letting go of control, and becoming a grounded, safe presence your child can return to. If you’re wanting support in actually applying this work in your real life, I’d love to invite you into my 4-month small group coaching program. The summer cohort begins in June, and we start by working through Raising Kids With Big, Baffling Behaviors - guided by Amy and thoughtfully adapted for PDA families. From there, we continue together with small group coaching, where you’ll get ongoing support as you practice staying regulated, holding boundaries, and navigating the real-life challenges that come up in your family. This space is designed to help you move from understanding the concepts to truly living them - with guidance, community, and compassion along the way. Click here to find all the details and join the summer cohort: 4-Month Coaching Program [https://amykcoach.com/parentcourse] Amy references insights similar to those taught by Dr. Brad Reedy and frameworks like Al-Anon, alongside the work of Robyn Gobbel.

PDA, Food Preoccupation, and Weight Gain: Nervous System Parenting for Neurodivergent Kids

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  [https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/]– Feeding relationships & division of responsibility * Katja Rowell, MD [https://www.thefeedingdoctor.com/] – Child feeding & body trust * SOS Feeding Therapy [https://sosapproachtofeeding.com/] – Nervous-system-informed feeding * STAR Institute [https://sensoryhealth.org/] – 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 [https://amykcoach.com/parentcourse].

Why Traditional Parenting Programs Don’t Work for PDA Families - and What I Do Instead

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

When Learning Shuts Down: PDA, School Trauma, and Why Traditional Education Stops Working (Part 1)

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. > Note: This conversation continues in Part Two, where we shift into rebuilding safety around learning, unlearning harmful narratives, and what learning can look like once pressure is removed. 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! [https://amykcoach.com/parentcourse] To connect with Danielle Rodda: @danielleroddaconsulting IG Substack [https://danielleroddaconsulting.substack.com/?utm_campaign=email-home&r=3mybqu] daniellerodda.ca  [http://daniellerodda.ca/]

The “Good Mom” Myth: How PDA Parents Can Break Free from Holiday Judgment and Comparison

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! [https://amykcoach.com/parentcourse] * Mentioned in episode: 'Echolocation for worth' concept comes from the work of Kara Loewentheil