EPT Professional Resource Library
Evidence and lived experience tools, research and frameworks to support neurodiversity-affirming practice, emotional regulation, and whole-family wellbeing.
EPT Published Research and Position Papers:
Position Paper:
Reframing PDA: From Pathological Demand Avoidance to Protective Developmental Anxiety (2025)
Authors: Lorraine Madden and Siobhan Campion.
Download PDA PaperMasters Psychology Research Paper: Trinity College Dublin (TCD) & EPT Collaboration. Published and Presented at Irelands International Conference on Education 2025
Parental Experience of a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy-based Emotion Regulation Intervention for Children (2025)
Authors: Anna O'Brien, Eric Lacey, Lorraine Madden, Kate Kenihan
Download PaperPublished and Presented at the Autism Europe International Congress: Autism Europe 2025
Evaluating the Neurodiversity Essentials Programme: A Pilot Study on Supporting Parents of Autistic Children (2025)
Authors: Lorraine Madden, Siobhan Campion, Daniel Docherty, Valerie Keogh.
Download PaperUndergraduate Psychology Research Paper: National College of Ireland & EPT Collaboration
Parental Experiences of Autism Diagnostic Services in Ireland (2024)
Authors: Anna O'Brien, Lorraine O.B. Madden & David Mothersill
Access Research PaperEPT Assessment Tools:
PDA Assessment Questionnaire: Parent Version (2025)
This brief questionnaire was designed by EPT Clinic (copyright Madden, 2025) to explore the possibility of a child presenting with a pattern of needs and preferences consistent with PDA. PDA is defined as Protective Developmental Anxiety, a biologically based, relationally shaped response to perceived threat, driven by nervous system sensitivity, sensory mismatch, and disrupted felt safety. Young people may avoid demands, seek control, use humour or distraction, or have intense emotional reactions, not to be defiant, but to protect their sense of autonomy and security (Madden, 2025). This questionnaire is a signposting and supportive tool, aiming to assist clinicians identify a PDA profile.
Author: Lorraine Madden, EPT Clinic
Download AssessmentSocial Emotional Regulation Assessment (SERA): 2025
The SERA is a digital, neuroscience-informed, neurodiversity affirmative tool for healthcare professionals working with children and adolescents. It helps identify each young person’s unique regulation profile, linking brain, body, and relationships, and produces a draft clinical report to support formulation and care planning. Developed by the EPT Clinic over the last 3 years, published in 2025, SERA streamlines assessment, saves clinical time, and enhances insight into emotional regulation.
Author: Lorraine Madden, EPT Clinic
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