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What is PDA/pathological demand avoidance in autism? A thread for #AutismAcceptanceMonth 
by an #ActuallyAutistic person!
[Please QRT, don’t reply.]
by an #ActuallyAutistic person![Please QRT, don’t reply.]
PDA (pathological demand avoidance) is a profile or subtype of autism that’s currently being researched more, but more and more mental health professionals are recognising it as a diagnostic criteria. People with a PDA profile have the “usual” autistic traits,
like difficulties in social communication and interaction, and restricted and repetitive behaviours and actions. PDA autistics are also also likely to have sensory processing difficulties.
PDA autistics, in addition to their more well-known autistic traits, are recognised to:
PDA autistics, in addition to their more well-known autistic traits, are recognised to:
- Have a need to control others and themselves, often rooted in anxiety.
- Go to extreme lengths to avoid everyday demands and expectations.
- Use a wide variety of excuses ranging from simple to complex to avoid anything they perceive as a demand.
- Go to extreme lengths to avoid everyday demands and expectations.
- Use a wide variety of excuses ranging from simple to complex to avoid anything they perceive as a demand.
- Appear sociable, but lack a deeper understanding of social situations. PDA autistics are typically skilled at masking.
- Experience intense emotions and mood swings.
- Be comfortable in pretence, fantasy and roleplay.
- Have interests/fixations that are “people-focused”
- Experience intense emotions and mood swings.
- Be comfortable in pretence, fantasy and roleplay.
- Have interests/fixations that are “people-focused”
(our special interests/repetitive interests are often - but not always - related to real or fictional people.
- Not respond well to conventional parenting, teaching and support.
- Not respond well to conventional parenting, teaching and support.
While a lot of other autistic people also avoid demands, there is usually a logical reason behind it, for example the situation would cause them high anxiety levels, require them to mask or be a trigger for sensory overload. With PDA, we avoid demands
simply because they’re demands. Our avoidance can seem irrational or dramatic to others. Even a small request like “could you pass me [item]?” can upset us. In some cases, we may refuse to eat because we feel hungry and perceive that as a demand from the body.
Our avoidance levels can vary day-to-day depending on how stressed we are. For example, if we’re suffering from sensory overload we’re more likely to avoid demands because they cause high levels of anxiety which can make the sensory overload worse.
What sort of demands can affect my PDA friends?
- Direct requests or questions from others, like “you should...” “you need to...”
- Indirect demands, like praise, time restraints and uncertain situations can make us feel anxious over your expectations of us.
- Direct requests or questions from others, like “you should...” “you need to...”
- Indirect demands, like praise, time restraints and uncertain situations can make us feel anxious over your expectations of us.
- Smaller demands within larger demands, like needing to respond to people in a social setting (already a demand to be there) correctly.
- Things we feel we “should” do, like get up, sleep, eat, wash and learn.
- Internal demands, like hunger, thirst and tiredness.
- Things we feel we “should” do, like get up, sleep, eat, wash and learn.
- Internal demands, like hunger, thirst and tiredness.
- Things we want to do, like hobbies, interests, spending time with friends and events.
How can you support a PDA autistic?
- Minimise rules, and let us choose and control to an extent whenever possible.
- Help us to manage our anxiety, by staying calm and reducing uncertainty
How can you support a PDA autistic?
- Minimise rules, and let us choose and control to an extent whenever possible.
- Help us to manage our anxiety, by staying calm and reducing uncertainty
by thinking about and planning things in advance with us, and doing your best to understand what might trigger us - just knowing you’re trying means a lot to us.
- Use indirect wording to ask/tell us to do things - “could you...?” or “can we...?” instead of “do this.”
- Use indirect wording to ask/tell us to do things - “could you...?” or “can we...?” instead of “do this.”
- Try to match the level of demand you’re putting on us with our stress levels. the less stressed we are, the better we’ll respond to demands.
- Give us time to adjust and accept demands.
Most importantly, just trust us to know our own limits and understand we aren’t trying to
- Give us time to adjust and accept demands.
Most importantly, just trust us to know our own limits and understand we aren’t trying to
be manipulative or controlling of you. We’re incredibly anxious when we don’t feel in control of ourselves. The most important thing for a friendship/healthy relationship with a PDA autistic is trust and mutual respect! We can thrive just like allistics when we’re doing things
that we want to do and/or are passionate about, with low stress levels and the knowledge that we can leave or join a situation when we need to. Thank you for reading this far! If any autistics want to add on in QRTs feel free, and ill QRT your response to add to the thread!
SOURCES: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/ &
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis/pda & https://autismawarenesscentre.com/an-introduction-to-pathological-demand-avoidance-pda/ !! If I think of anything else important I’ll add on, but for now happy autism acceptance month!
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis/pda & https://autismawarenesscentre.com/an-introduction-to-pathological-demand-avoidance-pda/ !! If I think of anything else important I’ll add on, but for now happy autism acceptance month!
