Monday 18 March 2019

Pathological Demand Avoidance: Characteristics and Strategies

After more than nine years of writing posts for this blog, there are now a lot of links to click and pages to visit. I also know that the reality is that people don't have that much time in general and would appreciate concise info, in a variety of ways. I hope that links to my posts about PDA which try to be helpful and informative in general are clear, but thought it would also help to have an introductory 'Pathological Demand Avoidance: Characteristics and Strategies' video available here too.





This video is just me, introducing our story, from when Sasha was first diagnosed with autism aged just two. Trying to help explain characteristics of someone with Pathological Demand Avoidance, and offering ideas for PDA strategies which we use in everyday life.

Of course there are many other families with children with PDA, and adult PDAers too, and it's important to remember that every individual is unique and can present with this in different ways. Different ages also lead to different challenges of course; in my series 'Our PDA Story' here on the blog there are 42 posts sharing a variety of experiences from families and adults living with PDA. 

Huge thanks to Kate from Finding Cooper's Voice who gave me the nudge I needed to make this video. Kate shared it on her Facebook page and I know that there have been several more people experiencing their 'lightbulb moment' since watching it. It's a great feeling to know that other families might now have some answers and their children might gain some more understanding. 




For more information about PDA, please read the book shown below: 
(this is an affiliate link and I may receive a small commission if you visit a link and go on to buy anything. It won't cost you any extra)

Book cover for Understanding pathological demand avoidance syndrome in children, by Phil christie, margaret duncan, zara healy and ruth fidler

(Other PDA books can be found in my 

To find out more about our experiences, please check out 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?




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2 comments:

  1. What about the fact PDA is not actually recognized in the DSM and in many cases by doctors/ therapists/service providers. It can come across in some cases like dealing with a spoiled manipulative child who just does what they want and nothing else.

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    1. It might come across like that, but I think when you look at both the big picture and the detail combined, you can see when avoidance is driven by anxiety rather than anything else... For doctors or therapists, the PDA Society have produced very informative booklets which are worth sharing x

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