WHAT IS PDA?
placeholder text ref pdasociety.org.uk
PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is widely understood to be a profile on the autism spectrum, involving the avoidance of everyday demands and the use of ‘social’ strategies as part of this avoidance. PDA individuals share autistic characteristics and in addition have many of the ‘key features’ of a PDA profile:
- resisting and avoiding the ordinary demands of life
- using social strategies as part of the avoidance
- appearing ‘socially able’ but this may mask underlying differences/difficulties in social interaction and communication
- experiencing intense emotions and mood swings
- appearing comfortable in role play, pretence and fantasy
- intense focus, often on other people (real or fictional)
- a need for control, often driven by anxiety or an automatic 'threat response'
- conventional approaches in support, parenting or teaching are innefective.