A PDA Communication Card for Home and School

For parents, teachers and school support teams. “Tell me what is wrong” may sound like an invitation, but it still asks for an answer on someone else’s schedule. If a student is already struggling with expectations, begin by considering how the conversation can happen.

This handout is for a student whose family or team finds the PDA description helpful. It does not ask staff to agree on a diagnosis before listening. It asks them to separate the topic of a conversation from the conditions that make participation possible.

Why make communication preferences visible?

Nicolaidis and colleagues developed an autism healthcare toolkit with community partners in the United States. It included personalized accommodations reports. Development and evaluation involved 259 autistic adults and 51 primary care providers in total. In the uncontrolled before/after evaluation, participants reported fewer barriers and improvements in confidence and communication satisfaction. It did not establish causation or study children, PDA or school communication cards. [1]

The UK-based PDA Society’s education guidance emphasizes flexibility and describes communication pressures in school. That is a practice perspective, not proof that this handout works. Its UK legal guidance does not describe US school obligations. [2]

Copy or print: a short communication card

Purpose: Help adults make a conversation workable. Complete only useful parts. Invite the student’s contribution through their usual communication method; do not make completing the card a condition for support. An adult can record an observation while leaving the student’s perspective open.

1. How I can contribute: __________. Examples to consider—not requirements—include talking privately, writing later, using an existing communication device, pointing, or sharing through a trusted person. My own preference / an adult’s observation / still unknown: __________.

2. What makes answering harder in this situation: __________. Describe what was observed without assigning a motive. “No answer when asked in front of the class” is different from “does not care.” Leave room for another explanation.

3. One adjustment to discuss: __________. For example, “Please offer a private way to respond,” or “Please leave time before asking another question.” These are sample requests, not guaranteed supports or a script every PDA student needs.

4. How I can ask to pause or say this is not working: __________. How the adult will respond, including any real limits: __________. Agree a way to check back that does not require a public explanation.

5. Who needs this information: __________. Adult responsible for checking it was received: __________. Date or situation for checking whether it helped: __________. What the student wants changed or removed: __________.

For the teacher receiving the card

Acknowledge the request and explain what you can arrange. If an option is unavailable, discuss an alternative rather than treating the card as a promise already fulfilled. Keep access to the student’s usual communication method available; this page is an addition, not a replacement.

Compare notes without making one setting the judge of another. A student might participate differently at home, in a hallway and in a classroom. Record those differences and what remains unknown. A completed card is a starting point for observation and conversation, not evidence that the situation has been resolved.

Share only what is necessary with appropriate people through the school’s established process. Avoid putting medical history or a child’s difficult moments on a public forum. In the United States, ask your school team about its own support and evaluation procedures; this page does not determine entitlements.

The adult task is to make room for an answer—not to produce a perfectly completed form. Print the card section, adapt the wording together, and revisit it when the student’s preferences change.