Understanding Demand Avoidance (PDA) and High-Intensity Behaviour
When everyday requests lead to shutdown, refusal, or intense emotional reactions — and nothing you try seems to help.
Saturday, 25 July 2026
09:00 – 14:30
In-person (Centurion) & Online (Zoom)
Does This Sound Familiar?
Many parents arrive here feeling confused, exhausted, and unsure of what to try next.
You may be seeing:
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Strong resistance to normal, everyday requests
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Meltdowns that escalate quickly and feel out of proportion
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Aggression when you try to hold a boundary
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A child who seems to need control at all costs
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A pattern where things work one day and fall apart the next
You may also have tried different approaches — structure, rewards, consequences, gentler parenting — and still feel stuck. This is often where parents begin to question their approach, even when they are trying their best.
This workshop is designed to help you make sense of what is happening, so that your response can become clearer and more effective.
You Might Be Asking:
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Why does everything turn into a battle?
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Why does my child refuse even simple tasks?
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Why do small things lead to such big reactions?
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Why does my child become aggressive when I set limits?
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Why does nothing seem to work consistently?
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Why can my child do something one day, but refuse the next?
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Why does my child need to be in control all the time?
If these questions feel familiar, this workshop will give you a clearer understanding of what is happening and how to respond.
Demand Avoidance Is Often Misunderstood.
What can look like defiance or intentional behaviour is very often rooted in:
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Anxiety
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A heightened stress response
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A deep need for autonomy and control
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Difficulty coping with perceived pressure
For some children, even ordinary expectations can trigger a fight, flight, or freeze response.
When this is not understood, well-intended parenting strategies can unintentionally escalate the situation.
This workshop helps you understand what is driving the behaviour — so that you can respond in a way that supports regulation, builds cooperation, and protects your relationship with your child.
ATTENDING ONLINE INSTEAD?
What You Will Learn About Demand Avoidance And Explosive Behaviour
In this workshop, we will explore:
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Why some children experience demands as overwhelming or threatening
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The connection between anxiety, control, and high-intensity behaviour
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Why traditional discipline strategies often increase resistance
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The difference between inability and unwillingness
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How demand avoidance presents in neurodivergent children
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What is happening in your child’s nervous system during escalation
What You Will Learn To Do:
You will leave with practical, applicable tools to:
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Reduce daily power struggles while maintaining clear structure
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Adjust how you communicate so your child can receive what you are saying
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Support your child through moments of escalation safely and effectively
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Set boundaries in a way that lowers resistance
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Increase cooperation without relying on reward systems
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Recognise early signs of dysregulation and respond sooner
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Create a home environment that supports both regulation and growth
Real-life Application
We will work through real-life situations such as:
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Refusing to get dressed, brush teeth, or leave the house
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Bedtime battles that escalate every evening
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Aggression when limits are set
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Saying “no” to everything — even preferred activities
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Avoidance of schoolwork or daily responsibilities
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Moments where your child seems stuck, overwhelmed, or out of control
You will be guided step by step on how to respond differently in these situations.
ATTENDING ONLINE INSTEAD?
Who This Is For
This workshop is for parents who:
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Feel stuck in repeated power struggles with their child
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Are raising a child who resists demands in intense or unexpected ways
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Suspect anxiety, neurodivergence, or demand avoidance patterns
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Want a practical, relationship-based approach that still includes structure
What's Included
Your registration includes the following:
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A 5.5-hour practical workshop
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Detailed session notes
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A 20-minute online follow-up consultation after the workshop
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Tea and a scone during the mid-morning break
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A light lunch during the workshop
All content is designed to be practical and immediately usable at home.
Details
Date: 25 July 2026
Time: 09:00-14:30
In-person Cost (Centurion): R850 per person
Online Cost (Zoom): R700 per person
Online sessions are live and facilitated, not pre-recorded
ATTENDING ONLINE INSTEAD?
Workshop Format
This is a practical, in-depth workshop that includes:
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Clear explanations grounded in current research
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Real-life examples you can relate to
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Step-by-step strategies you can start using immediately
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Time for reflection and practical application
Availability
In-person attendance is limited to 30 parents to allow for a focused and practical experience. In-person spots tend to fill first.
This workshop will only be presented once in 2026.
ATTENDING ONLINE INSTEAD?
About Learning for Life
A grounded, relationship-centred approach to parenting and behaviour.
Learning for Life supports parents, teachers, and families in understanding children’s behaviour, development, and emotional wellbeing.
Through workshops, parent guidance, and counselling services, Learning for Life focuses on helping adults understand what children’s behaviour is communicating and how to respond in ways that build both structure and connection.
The Learning for Life approach is informed by current research in child development, neuroscience, and relational parenting. Influential voices in this field include Dr Bruce Perry, Dr Dan Siegel, Dr Becky Kennedy, and other researchers working at the intersection of brain development and emotional regulation.
Workshops are designed to translate this research into practical strategies that parents can use in everyday situations with their children.
Learning for Life works with families navigating a wide range of challenges, including emotional regulation, anxiety, neurodivergence, sensory sensitivity, discipline struggles, and adoption-related questions.
This workshop is presented by Lourindi Nel, founder of Learning for Life.
Lourindi works with children, parents, and teachers to help adults better understand children’s behaviour and emotional needs. Her work focuses on helping families respond to children with both clear structure and strong relational connection.
Through workshops, counselling, and parent guidance, Lourindi has supported many families navigating challenges such as anxiety, emotional regulation, sensory sensitivity, neurodivergence, and discipline struggles.
Her approach combines practical experience with current research in child development and neuroscience, with a strong focus on translating complex ideas into strategies parents can use in everyday situations with their children.
If you are trying to support your child and need clearer direction on what is happening and how to respond, you are welcome to join us.
ATTENDING ONLINE INSTEAD?
