What is PDA?

PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is widely understood to be a profile of autism. One of the most well-known features of PDA is demand avoidance, which is where a person finds it hard to manage everyday tasks or demands, even those they want or need to do.

PDA can have a profound effect on people’s lives, making everyday tasks impossible. It can also be harder to get an autism diagnosis or any meaningful support due to how PDA presents. Without the right support, many people find themselves unable to achieve their potential, trapped in lives that are restricted and deeply unhappy.

Our small team works tirelessly to raise awareness, create resources and deliver training to PDA adults, parents and professionals who support PDA autistic people. Following the principle of ‘nothing about us without us’, we support the creation of new research into PDA and create safe digital spaces to grow and consult with the PDA community.

Zara and her family were really struggling when they reached out to our support service. This is what she said about how we helped.

“Having someone respond with lived experience of our issue was really powerful. It made us feel less alone. The suggestions were insightful – you really don’t get this level of understanding about PDA from other sources. I can’t stress highly enough how valuable this service is.” 

As a small charity with no government funding we can only help people like Zara thanks to the generosity of people like you.

At the PDA Society, our mission is to improve the lives of PDA children, PDA adults and their families. We are working hard to build awareness and understanding around PDA and demand avoidance so that everyone can get the understanding and support they need to thrive.

Here are some pages you might find useful:

To help you learn more about PDA and make informed decisions.

For PDAers, families, professionals and workplaces.