What is PDA?
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. Whilst autism is a well-recognised term, our understanding of the full breadth and complexity of the autism spectrum is still evolving.
The National Autistic Society explains autism as “a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world”. Many autistic advocates embrace the social model of disability and view a range of neurological differences as being part of a natural human variation (neurodiversity).
Pathological Demand Avoidance – Booklet for Parents:
https://www.st-marks.islington.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PDAbooklet.pdf