{"id":11506,"date":"2025-05-01T11:07:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T10:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/?page_id=11506"},"modified":"2025-05-13T18:24:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:24:42","slug":"research-priorities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/research-professional-practice\/research-priorities\/","title":{"rendered":"Research priorities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_heading title=&#8221;PDA research priorities&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; title_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; title_text_align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; title_text_align_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; title_text_align_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;32px|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We have made significant strides since the first research paper identifying PDA was published by Prof Elizabeth Newson in 2003, but more research about PDA and wider demand avoidance is needed. To truly improve lives for PDA people and their families we need robust academic research to inform effective person-centered support strategies, and which can shape recommendations for improvements in policy and clinical practice.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;32px|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The PDA Society are committed to ensuring that there is more good quality research about PDA. Alongside quality, there needs to be a focus on how useful research will be to people struggling with demand avoidance, and ensuring they are respectfully included in the research process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-9868c831-dc08-4be7-96b8-e0cb537cb9dc&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-9868c831-dc08-4be7-96b8-e0cb537cb9dc%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_2,1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_heading title=&#8221;Research that the PDA community needs&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; title_level=&#8221;h2&#8243; title_text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; title_text_align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; title_text_align_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; title_text_align_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;32px|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In 2022, we surveyed the PDA community alongside a range of professionals and researchers to identify what they felt were the most important unanswered questions about PDA. Through this exercise we identified nine key research priorities which we broke down into thirty-nine questions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;32px|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>You can read about how we developed these priorities\u00a0<a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PDA-research-priorities-report-final-15.9.23.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in this report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_video src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zuTV1Pz33oI&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_heading title=&#8221;Community research priorities:&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; title_level=&#8221;h2&#8243; title_text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; title_text_align_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; title_text_align_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; title_text_align_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;32px|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; custom_css_free_form=&#8221;selector ul li strong {|| font-weight: 900;||}||selector ul li {|| font-weight: 400 !important;|| position: relative;|| padding-left: 37px;|| margin-bottom: 15px;||}||||selector ul {|| list-style-type: none;|| padding: 0 !important;||}||selector ul li::before{|| content: %22%22;|| position: absolute;|| width: 24px;|| height: 24px;|| background-image: url(%22data:image\/svg+xml;base64,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%22);|| background-size: contain;|| background-repeat: no-repeat;|| top: 4px;|| left: 0;||}||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What are the origins of the experience of the PDA profile, including the specific nature of the demand avoidance?<\/li>\n<li>How do people experience PDA, and the world around them, day-to-day?<\/li>\n<li>What impacts a PDA person\u2019s quality of life and what changes would improve outcomes?<\/li>\n<li>How can professionals be better informed and services better configured or adapted to meet the needs of PDA people?<\/li>\n<li>How can specific needs and strengths of individual PDA people be better understood to make a difference to them?<\/li>\n<li>How should we best and most usefully define and describe PDA?<\/li>\n<li>What relational and therapeutic approaches help and what harm a PDA child or adult?<\/li>\n<li>What learning environment and approaches are effective in meeting a PDA learner\u2019s needs?<\/li>\n<li>How do a PDA person\u2019s needs change over time?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;32px|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>For research to make a real difference to people\u2019s lives, it needs to reflect the priorities of the PDA community. By highlighting the needs of people with PDA, their families, and the professionals supporting them, we hope to inspire new research, focus current efforts on the most urgent issues, and build a solid evidence base for future research funding.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;32px|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>As well as sharing the research priorities with researchers, funders, and policymakers, we are working to:<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;32px|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Build interest amongst academics and policymakers in creating a Centre of Excellence dedicated to understanding autistic demandavoidance \u2013 how it presents and what truly helps.<\/li>\n<li>Source funding opportunities to sustain research in this area.<\/li>\n<li>Support people who are currently doing research that could change how people with PDA are understood and supported \u2013 or who have ambitions to in the future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol><\/ol>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|16px|0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;32px|0px||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; text_orientation_tablet=&#8221;center&#8221; text_orientation_phone=&#8221;left&#8221; text_orientation_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>If you are interested in researching a topic related to PDA we invite you to get in touch with us at <a href=\"mailto:research@pdasociety.org.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">research@pdasociety.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-9868c831-dc08-4be7-96b8-e0cb537cb9dc&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-9868c831-dc08-4be7-96b8-e0cb537cb9dc%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;gcid-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;40px|40px|40px|40px|false|false&#8221; border_radii=&#8221;on|24px|24px|24px|24px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_heading title=&#8221;Do you want to stay up to date?&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; title_level=&#8221;h3&#8243; title_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;center&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">There\u2019s always more to learn about PDA &#8211; and it can be hard to keep up. Our newsletter brings updates, ideas and support straight to your inbox. It\u2019s free, and easy to join.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=&#8221;@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9saW5rX3VybF9wYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsicG9zdF9pZCI6IjgwMjgifX0=@&#8221; button_text=&#8221;Sign up&#8221; button_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _dynamic_attributes=&#8221;button_url&#8221; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-6923f909-25e5-4c77-be27-cbebb4bb1b7c%22:%91%22button_bg_color%22,%22button_border_color%22%93}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We have made significant strides since the first research paper identifying PDA was published by Prof Elizabeth Newson in 2003, but more research about PDA and wider demand avoidance is needed. To truly improve lives for PDA people and their families we need robust academic research to inform effective person-centered support strategies, and which can shape recommendations for improvements in policy and clinical practice. The PDA Society are committed to ensuring that there is more good quality research about PDA. Alongside quality, there needs to be a focus on how useful research will be to people struggling with demand avoidance, and ensuring they are respectfully included in the research process. In 2022, we surveyed the PDA community alongside a range of professionals and researchers to identify what they felt were the most important unanswered questions about PDA. Through this exercise we identified nine key research priorities which we broke down into thirty-nine questions. You can read about how we developed these priorities\u00a0in this report. What are the origins of the experience of the PDA profile, including the specific nature of the demand avoidance? How do people experience PDA, and the world around them, day-to-day? What impacts a PDA person\u2019s quality [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"parent":11495,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"course_tag":[],"class_list":["post-11506","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11506\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"course_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/course_tag?post=11506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}