This BBC article also shines a light on this subject which still sadly seems taboo. These children are not having tantrums though, or 'acting up' because they aren't getting their own way (yes, both these things have been suggested to me previously). They are trying to communicate. I feel it's also important to point out though that it is not just severely autistic children or children with learning disabilities who can react like this.
Extremely high anxiety levels, such as those where PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is concerned, can lead to an inability to express issues clearly. Something seemingly small can push those anxiety levels to overflowing, and a child with PDA may then find themselves in a flight, fight or freeze situation.
We have been lucky so far that Sasha is generally inclined to freeze or fly rather than fight, and she has very rarely been violent or shown aggression to us or others. Fingers crossed that lasts. That may be partly down to the approaches we have used with her for the past seven years, but it could also be something to do with her genetic make-up.
Having spoken to many other parents of children with PDA, I definitely feel for those parents who have to deal with extremely challenging and violent behaviour.
PDA is a sub-type of autism and still relatively 'rare'; it is not easy for a child to be diagnosed with this. I'm in no way suggesting that all children with behaviour which challenges should be diagnosed with PDA, but in some cases the diagnosis may fit and using the strategies may provide relief and understanding for those around the child.
My aim is to try to carry on educating others about Pathological Demand Avoidance. It's rewarding to be able to help other families find a way to alter their behaviour rather than just the child's, in order to create a calmer life which works for everyone. Of course, not everyone agrees with me or with our way of doing things, and our way won't necessarily work with every child, I get that. Sometimes though, PDA is the answer that parents don't yet know about.
For more reading on PDA I can suggest three of my most-read posts ever:
Challenging Behaviour and PDA
The difference between PDA and ODD
Strategies for Pathological Demand Avoidance
If you find any of them helpful, please do share with others in any way you can!
For more information on PDA I recommend The PDA Society
 |
| *This image contains an affiliate link; I may receive a small commission if you choose to use it. |
Our book, PDA in the Family, is out now! We wanted to help other people understand more about Pathological Demand Avoidance and this book was one way of doing that. It's an account of how family life has been for us since an autism diagnosis for our youngest daughter, and the subsequent lightbulb moment when we heard about PDA: PDA in the Family: Life After the Lightbulb Moment Book Launch
For more books about PDA, click on the image above. To hear more about our story see our 'About Us' page or the summary of our experience in Our PDA Story Week 35. If you are looking for more online reading about Pathological Demand Avoidance, the posts below may help.
- What is PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance)?
- Ten things you need to know about Pathological Demand Avoidance
- Does my child have Pathological Demand Avoidance?
- The difference between PDA and ODD
- Strategies for PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance)
- Pathological Demand Avoidance: Strategies for Schools
- Challenging Behaviour and PDA
- Is Pathological Demand Avoidance real?
- Autism with demand avoidance or Pathological Demand Avoidance?
- Books about the Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile of autism
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are always very much appreciated and can really help the conversation go further...