Journeys With PDA 2026 Retreat
Attending for yourself
Caregivers and practitioners are in the same sessions you are — deliberately. There is one room, one schedule, and you are a participant in it, not a topic on it.
A room full of parents and clinicians who work on PDA is a room where you could end up being the subject rather than a participant. That is a reasonable thing to weigh before registering.
Here is what we do about it: there is no panel where Adult PDAers are exhibited and no session where you are expected to represent anyone. You register as an attendee like everyone else, you choose which sessions you sit in, and you speak only when you have something you want to say. What past attendees tell us is that when they did speak, the room listened — and that the conversation was better because they were in it.
What Adult PDAers report
We do not survey attendees for marketing quotes. The patterns below come from conversations, emails, and what Adult PDAers have told us in the months after the retreat.
Being in the room changes what gets said
Practitioners and parents talk differently about PDA when Adult PDAers are present and participating. Attendees describe this as the point — and several describe it as the first time they have heard the conversation happen in front of them rather than about them.
The sessions are the actual sessions
Same content, same room, no separate track and nothing simplified. Attendees who came expecting a lighter parallel program were surprised it was not that.
Other adults who get it without a preamble
For most attendees this is the first time in a room where PDA needs no explaining and accommodations need no negotiating.
What you say lands somewhere
Attendees describe answering a practitioner's question and watching that practitioner take notes. The exchange runs both directions.
The practicals that actually matter
Demand load and sensory reality, stated plainly. What is confirmed for 2026 is listed below; where something is still being finalized, we say so.
- The schedule is built with downtime on purpose: unstructured community time, coffee chats, and quiet space to step away when you need to. Nothing about the weekend requires you to sit in a chair for eight hours straight.
- Stepping out of a session at any point, for any reason, is normal here and needs no explanation.
- Details on low-stimulation space, session seating and exits, food and dietary handling, break length, and lighting and noise in the session space are being finalized with the venue. If any of these determine whether you can attend, email us and we will tell you exactly what is confirmed before you register.
Practical concerns
On cost: a limited number of financial assistance awards are available to help reduce the barrier to attending. Funding is limited and awarded based on eligibility and available funds, so we encourage early applications. Learn more and apply for financial support.
On travel and lodging: the retreat is held at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Tempe, with a group room rate and an airport shuttle. Staying on site means the room you retreat to is an elevator away, not a drive.
Reserve your seat
October 23–25, 2026 · Tempe, Arizona
1520 W Baseline Rd, Tempe, AZ 85283
Reserve your seatQuestions about access or accommodations? Email info@journeyswithpda.org
Many attendees fit more than one description. You can also read the caregiver page or the professional page.