Olive's Day: Understanding and Navigating PDA {Book Review}

Olive's Day: Understanding and Navigating PDA* is a recently published book that I think is great for adding to my list of resources for Pathological Demand Avoidance.

Olive is a bright, funny, and thoughtful PDA girl. The book follows a day in Olive’s life - from the moment she wakes up, through a school day and then back to home - and in it we see some of the demands that PDAers encounter. Alongside the narrative of what's happening, we see responses from Olive, both internal and external, and strategies that Olive, her family and her teachers use to navigate tricky moments are also shared.

The authors Caryn Price and Georgina Benger are mothers and passionate advocates for education, each bringing years of experience, specialist knowledge, and a range of qualifications to their work. They enjoy developing creative, evidence-based approaches to support learning and wellbeing. Firm believers in the power of play, fun, and curiosity, they combine lived experience with academic expertise to promote more inclusive, emotionally literate, and compassionate approaches to holistic education. It feels like the authors understand how sensory or processing demands can compound the emotional load for children like Olive.

From the very first page, Olive’s Day has a warm and friendly tone. It introduces Olive in a way that is gentle and honest - it doesn't gloss over her difficulties, but manages to still feel positive. This is so valuable in a book about neurodiversity: it invites empathy without pity. For parents who are still finding their way, or for teachers who may have heard of PDA but are not confident in what it means, that voice matters deeply. 

Olive’s Day reframes what might be mistaken for simple “refusal” or “defiance” into something more complex: overwhelm, fear, need for control, anxiety. Through Olive's story, children, parents, and educators gain insight into PDA, with practical strategies to support understanding, inclusion, and emotional regulation.

Let me tell you about a day in my life so you can understand more about PDA.
It was a school morning when Mum wooshed past and reminded me it was time to get ready.
"Come on, Olive, it's time to get dressed for school," Mum said.
But I had a sudden rush inside me, and I felt a big ‘NO!’ coming up into my throat.
"I won't go to school today," I said and pulled the covers up over my head.
I could hear the clock ticking, which made it feel like the clock was shouting at me. The tick, tick, ticking added to the pressure I already felt.

Teachers will find Olive’s Day particularly useful because it offers a window into what the PDA profile of autism can feel like from the inside, not something that will have been taught in teacher training. Understanding that a demand isn’t just a task, that transition moments can become overwhelming, that the "routine" may need to be more flexible - all these are things that can shift how a teacher structures their classroom, approaches the children, handles requests, and helps peer interactions. Also, because it is child-friendly and illustrative, this book might be usable with children (depending on age), to help them see themselves in a story, or to build empathy with classmates. For schools trying to build inclusive approaches, this book is great because it doesn’t require pages of theory before action - it gives tangible ideas.

For parents, this book offers practical strategies and a reminder that even small changes in how we approach daily life can make a big difference. It could be a good prompt for starting conversations at home about some of the more difficult aspects of life for PDAers; young PDAers might feel seen and relieved that someone else is describing their feelings. It can help validate parents' feelings so they don't feel so isolated and could also be used to help explain PDA to siblings. 

A message from author Caryn Price:

"Olive’s Day was written with care and with deep respect for the lived experiences of children and families navigating PDA. From the beginning, we spoke directly with parents and children, and their voices shaped the tone and content.

This book is not a “solution,” but a tool: a child-friendly way to open conversations, build understanding, and acknowledge the challenges children and families face. By placing these experiences within the safety of a story, Olive’s Day creates space for children, families, and professionals to explore what PDA feels like and how we might respond with empathy and creativity.

Mainstream environments still require a lot of acceptance and accommodations, but this book is an accessible starting point to recognise everyday struggles and begin navigating them with compassion. 

My hope is that Olive’s Day offers shared language, validation, and gentle scaffolding of the emotional skills that make inclusion and acceptance possible."

There are a handful of pages at the back of the book that share some ideas on what might be going on for PDAers in certain situations, both home and school, with each short paragraph answering questions such as why it matters, what it means and what you might notice. There's also a further reading list with some interesting links.

This beautifully illustrated book features a dyslexia-friendly font and colour-coded pages designed to aid emotional regulation, making it an accessible and supportive resource. Available now from Amazon as a paperback: Olive's Day, and also available as a Kindle version: Olive's Day for Kindle. 

*(Some of the underlined text and the pictures in this post are affiliate links; as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases but it won't cost you any extra)

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