PDA Society
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersSheffield, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
PDA Society firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PDA Society
- Legal name
- The PDA Society
- Website
- https://pdasociety.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PDA Society industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Autism and Disability Support Services
- NAICS
- Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Educational Support Services (61171), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Classroom Support Platforms (EDAFAKAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Autism Communication Support (AAC, Pragmatics & Language) (EDAKAKAG)
Keywords
Where PDA Society is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sheffield
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
PDA Society business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: Relies on donations from supporters. Offers PDA Hero annual supporter membership at £200/year. Runs fundraising campaigns including comedy fundraising and summer fundraising challenges.
- Training and Consultancy: Provides paid training courses including webinars (£45), Q&A sessions (£9), podcasts (£10), and free basic training. Delivers bespoke training and consultancy services to professionals including schools, councils and clinical settings.
- Government Funding: National Lottery Community Fund supports a proportion of running costs in England for 5 years from 1st April 2023. Stated as 'no government funding' on some pages, suggesting limited public funding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | PDA Hero annual supporter membership |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Q&A sessions |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Healthcare webinars |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Podcast/video content |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | PDA - the basics |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free peer support service |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
PDA Society product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The PDA Society is a UK registered charity that provides awareness, training, support services, and research publications for Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), a profile of autism. Its core offerings are a free confidential peer support service for individuals, families and professionals, an online training hub with paid and free courses, and bespoke training and consultancy delivered to schools, councils and clinical settings. Supplementary offerings include an annual PDA Hero supporter membership, paid webinars, Q&A sessions, podcasts, and curated directories of support organisations and diagnostic centres.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Free Peer Support Service Free confidential peer support service providing information and guidance about Pathological Demand Avoidance to individuals, families and professionals across the UK. It is the only free specialist PDA service in the UK.
- Bespoke Training and Consultancy Custom-designed training and consultancy services delivered to schools, councils and clinical settings to support professionals working with PDA individuals. Built by people with lived experience of PDA.
- PDA Training Hub Online training platform (training.pdasociety.org.uk) hosting introductory training, paid webinars, Q&A sessions, podcasts, and member subscriptions for PDAers, families and professionals.
- Healthcare Webinars Paid online webinars priced at £45 each, targeted at healthcare professionals seeking guidance on health and social care for PDA individuals.
- Q&A Sessions Live or recorded Q&A sessions on specific PDA topics (e.g., Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, Gaming) priced at £9 per session on a pay-as-you-go basis.
- Podcast/Video Content Series Paid podcast and video content series on specific PDA topics (e.g., "PDA in Adulthood: Parenting When the System Failed") priced at £10 per series.
- PDA Hero Annual Supporter Membership Annual supporter membership priced at £200.00 per year that provides additional benefits to individuals who fund the charity's free services.
- PDA Education Conference Annual practical online conference for education professionals and parents to improve outcomes for PDA children.
- Organisation Directory Online directory of organisations providing support services for PDAers, helping families and professionals find appropriate services.
- Diagnostic Centres Directory Online directory of independent diagnostic centres for PDA assessment, helping families locate assessment services.
Quantifiable outcome
- 96% of support service users found it helpful (2023-24)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use PDA Society
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PDA Society technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
PDA Society partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PDA North AmericacoreInternational partnership for PDA Action Week 2026, creating opportunities to get involved with the growing global PDA community. This cross-Atlantic collaboration aims to raise awareness and share resources.
- The Disabled Children's PartnershipcoreThe PDA Society is one of more than 120 organisations which make up the Disabled Children's Partnership. Together, they campaign for improved health and social care for disabled children, young people and their families.
- Autism Alliance UKcoreA national partnership of not-for-profit organisations that support autistic people and their families. They work together to share knowledge, skills and experience to reduce inequalities for autistic people.
- NCVO Championing Voluntary ActionminorNCVO is a membership community for charities, voluntary organisations and community groups in England with over 17,000 members. They champion charities and volunteers to build stronger communities.
- Disability Confident employer schememinorThe Disability Confident scheme encourages employers to take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. The PDA Society participates as an employer.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PDA Society competitors and assessment
Company assessmentPeers
- Contact (for families with disabled children):
Broad incumbents
- Sense: UK disability charity supporting people with complex disabilities including autism. Trustee Rachel Perrin serves as Associate Director for Programmes at Sense, establishing a direct peer relationship. Provides broader disability services but overlaps with PDA Society on family and professional support.
- Ambitious about Autism: UK charity focused on autism education and youth services, with which the PDA Society's Chair Sally Cairns is affiliated via its development board. Operates schools and services for autistic children, overlapping with PDA Society's education-focused training and professional guidance.
- National Autistic Society: The UK's largest autism charity, providing information, support, and advocacy across the autism spectrum. While much broader in scope than PDA Society, it serves many of the same families, educators, and professionals and represents the dominant incumbent in the autism support space.
Direct peers
- Autism Alliance UK: A national partnership of not-for-profit organisations supporting autistic people and their families, of which the PDA Society is an active member. Directly comparable as a coordinating network for autism-focused charities, sharing knowledge, skills, and campaigns.
- PDA North America: The North American counterpart organization dedicated to PDA awareness and support, partnering with the PDA Society on PDA Action Week 2026. Most directly comparable peer by mission and beneficiary community, operating the same model in a different geography.
Others
- Netmums: The UK's largest parenting website, co-founded by PDA Society Trustee Sally Russell. Comparable as a community-led parent support and information platform, sharing the digital content and lived-experience approach that underpins PDA Society's content strategy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PDA Society social profiles
Digital presencePDA Society financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PDA Society leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
PDA Society funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PDA Society M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PDA Society
What does PDA Society do?
The PDA Society is a UK registered charity that provides awareness, training, support services, and research publications for Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), a profile of autism. Its core offerings are a free confidential peer support service for individuals, families and professionals, an online training hub with paid and free courses, and bespoke training and consultancy delivered to schools, councils and clinical settings. Supplementary offerings include an annual PDA Hero supporter membership, paid webinars, Q&A sessions, podcasts, and curated directories of support organisations and diagnostic centres.
Is PDA Society a public or private company?
PDA Society is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was PDA Society founded?
PDA Society was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PDA Society based?
PDA Society is headquartered in Sheffield, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does PDA Society make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are training and Consultancy and government Funding.
Who are PDA Society's main competitors?
Contact (for families with disabled children) is listed as a peer. Broad incumbents are Sense, Ambitious about Autism and National Autistic Society. Direct peers are Autism Alliance UK and PDA North America. Netmums is listed as an others.
Does PDA Society have an API?
No public API is recorded for PDA Society.
What industry is PDA Society in?
PDA Society's product category is Autism and Disability Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAKAI, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) & Inclusive Classroom Support Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAKAKAG, Autism Communication Support (AAC, Pragmatics & Language). Its NAICS code is 624190 and its SIC code is 8300.