MASTERPOST: PDA (Pathological/Pervasive Demand Avoidance)
PDA is a newly but-not-ubiquitously recognized profile without Autism (and what is likely behind any Autistic or ADHDer, if not everyone, with an Oppositional Defiance Disorder diagnosis). PDA stands for "Pathological Demand Avoidance," but many people prefer the term "Persistent Demand Avoidance," "Extreme Demand Avoidance," or just "Demand Avoidance," while some others contest the existence of it as a specific profile all together. Regardless, many individuals and families have found significant validation and guidance from learning about PDA and finding support groups.
What is PDA?
- What is pathological demand avoidance (PDA)? (National Autistic Society, UK)
- Pathological Demand Avoidance (Options)
- Pathological Demand Avoidance: Behavioural strategies (autism west midlands)
- Pathological Demand Avoidance: Part of the autism Spectrum (PDA Society)
- The best explanation of PDA I’ve ever seen, by Kirtsy Forbes. (via lovepda)
More About PDA:
- Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) Parenting: Taking You on a Guilt Trip (The Aspergian)
- The ‘triggers’ within Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome. (lovepda)
- Does your child push your buttons? Then lesson your buttons. A post about anxiety attacks and what we can do to better understand PDA. (lovepda)
- ‘Demand Detox’. Removing all demands for children with Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome. (lovepda)
- My tips for speaking with psychiatrists. Left and right brain thinking. (lovepda)
- Meeting the educational needs of pupils with PDA (Network Autism)
Useful Sites:
- PDA by PDAers: From Anxiety to Avoidance and Masking to Meltdowns (2018)
- The PDA Paradox: The Highs and Lows of My Life on a Little-Known Part of the Autism Spectrum (2019)
- Collaborative Approaches to Learning for Pupils with PDA: Strategies for Education Professionals (2018)
- Can I tell you about Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome?: A guide for friends, family and professionals (2015)
- Me and My PDA: A Guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance for Young People (2018)
- Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome - My Daughter is Not Naughty (2015)
Research:
- Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and alternative explanations:a critical overview. (2018)
- Dimensions of difficulty in children reported to have an autism spectrum diagnosis and features of extreme/‘pathological’ demand avoidance (2018)
- Intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety as explanatory frameworks for extreme demand avoidance in children and adolescents (2019)
- Emotion Regulation and Executive Function in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Pathological Demand Avoidance Traits (2018)
- Mapping the educational experiences of children with pathological demand avoidance (2015)
