Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

[@jadegonzalez3608]

I'm 40yr old autistic woman and can confidently say I experience this and have my entire life. It explains so much. wow Thank you for sharing

[@amber5657]

The way I just cried because this explains my son's behavior as a 4 year old and no one has been able to help us!

[@glenrose7482]

With my own 2 PDA children I would say PDA becomes apparent around 20 months (then really obvious at 3.75 years old) but I would think there is also a possibility that if they are coping then PDA behaviour may not be obvious until social demands exceed capacity (also there is internalised PDA so not obvious). In my case I didn't realise I was a PDAer until I wasn't coping and didn't have the option to recover from what I now know as a shutdown. My kids' PDA outside home isn't obvious and is masked and internalised so definitely listen to parents. Would love to do a lived experience Q&A if you are interested? I've done presentations on PDA and Autism at multiple Carers Gateway peer support groups and have also recently done a mental health livestream. I'm very passionate about neurodiversity and advocating for those of us who (and sometimes) quite literally can not speak. I'm neurodivergent (autistic, adhd, PDA, dyslexic etc) and have seen all sides of autism as a young carer of a classic level 3 sibling, now a parent of PDA children and someone who in their teenage years experienced autistic catatonia.

[@chrisellis4400]

I'm self diagnosed but I've managed to save up enough money for an autism assessment. My housing situation has recently changed and I'm finding myself avoiding my need to house myself in preference for spending my spoons on maintaining my job to maintain my income and having enough money to get an assessment so that other people understand my specific situation. Trying to explain to people that I'm just not going to do what I need to do to prevent me living out of my car because I'm spending too many spoons holding down a job is in itself overwhelmingly and exhausting. Telling people that living out of my car for a short amount of time is my preference so that I can save money for an assessment is apparently the wrong choice. Apparently I'm choosing to be homeless. Let's solve one problem at a time people, ffs.