The PDA Paradox: The Highs and Lows of My Life on a Little-Known Part of the Autism Spectrum

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For example, Thompson remembers one young PDA girl he worked with who went for weeks without showering, until she saw her older sister using a curling iron. Once he stopped being at school (the beginning of the second week of January term starting) the violence completely stopped.

So if you or your family member is on the pathway to diagnosis or even if you believe there are traits and are in the early stages of understanding autism, you are welcome here. So sad to read this but sadly echoes the experience we had with our then 8 year old child on a paediatric ward.Where outwardly expressing her distress and melancholy was met with untold invalidation and abuse, E now internalises everything she feels. I used to just jump in and out of characters and roleplay, mimic accents, method-act even,” says Thompson. I needed it for the conversation at the end of my husband’s work day when I explained how I protected the baby, that I’d had a heavy object thrown directly at my face, or why my hands were shaking too hard to hold my phone. Thankfully my husband is very good at recognising when I am reaching the point where one of the 5 F acute stress reactions are going to kick in, and takes over primary care of our son so that I can escape upstairs, self-regulate my anxiety and take a break. Unfortunately, the NHS inpatient services and Camhs do not have this understanding, which is why I was adamant that my child could not go to a standard NHS unit and have standard treatment!

These are parents who have tried everything — these parents have gone through different therapists, and they've tried medications with their kids, and they've tried parenting classes, and they're exhausted,” Henderson says.While the rest of the new-borns on the ward were happy to be laid in the hospital cot (ones that were set up next to your hospital bed) my son screamed blue murder every time anyone tried to take him from me or try to put him in the cot. Adopt the National Autistic Society’s core values, policies and procedures and fairly represent the organisation.

As I have begun sharing my writing on PDA, I’ve also been reflecting on how I use language in relation to it.

The memoir brings to life Harry's past experiences and feelings, from his torrid time at school to the peaceful and meaningful moments when he is alone with a book, writing or creating YouTube videos. There is an interesting pattern I have started to see in PDAers, and that is having difficulty with arbitrary hierarchy, conformity and authority. We ask that you tell us if you have any concerns and respond to our questions or queries within the agreed time limits.

In my work I have been developing a greater understanding of the unique experiences of such people, and how these concerns can be misinterpreted as being ADHD, or just being an a*hole. The third talk develops an interest based account of autism (monotropism theory) and highlights how it explains the DAP profile. Autistic persons tend to be adversely affected when others impose a routine unto them, as reflected by negative effects of ABA. A person who identifies with Demand Avoidance Phenomenon (DAP, commonly known as Pathological Demand Avoidance) named Harry Thompson has produced a video critiquing a talk by Damian Milton on alternative explanations for DAP.By sharing this, I also seek to acknowledge, validate, support, and truly see other parents of PDA children. In some cases, may enjoy role-play or escaping in imagination as an expression of creating an inner autonomous world.