Navigating PDA in America
A Framework to Support Anxious, Demand-Avoidant Autistic Children, Teens and Young Adults
Although Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) has been a recognized autistic profile in the UK for some time, awareness is still growing in America. When parents first learn about it they talk about having a lightbulb moment of understanding their child better. Many described how, having found traditional parenting and behavioral techniques made things worse instead of better, they felt judged and alone. Teachers and school administrators also reported struggling to support their PDA students. The children, teens and young adults themselves were often left feeling misunderstood.
The authors of this book explain PDA with an emphasis on promoting well-being both for PDA individuals and all those who support them. They provide a neurodiversity-affirming framework for supporting anxious, demand avoidant individuals across a range of settings and services. As awareness spreads across the pond, the compassion and clarity in this book will become a valuable guide to many.
When researching PDA it’s hard to sift through what resources are relevant to those of us in the United States, but by pulling from their years of combined professional experience and strong relationship with the adult PDA community, Diane and Ruth are helping bridge the gap. I expect this book to be a staple resource for both parents and professionals.
This book is full of good news and support highlights for autistic PDAers, families and professionals. Beautifully crafted via first person accounts and professional experiential advantage. From this PDAer, Brilliant!
An important resource for a small subset of individuals on the autism spectrum who demonstrate more extreme cognitive inflexibility and emotional dysregulation interfering with their ability to comply with the simplest, most routine tasks and demands of daily life. If your child/student/patient with autism is not responding to typical parenting and behavior management approaches as recommended by most professionals, then consider the methods discussed in this book.
Ruth Fidler is an education consultant based in the UK. She provides training, consultation and facilitates strategic development work for educations settings, local and national services as well as parent-led organizations. She worked as a senior leader in an autism-specific special school for 22 years and has worked independently since 2014. She has published widely in the field and specializes in PDA profiles, supporting autistic girls and promoting emotional well-being.
Diane Gould is a clinical social worker based in IL. She has worked in schools and agencies and has a private therapy practice. She has been active in the field for over 40 years. Diane formed PDA North America in 2020. She hears from multiple parents across America on a daily basis as they hear about PDA and provides consultations and training to parents, teachers and other professionals : http://www.dianegouldtherapy.com/pda-north-america
