{"id":15498,"date":"2025-07-27T10:29:47","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T09:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/?page_id=15498"},"modified":"2025-07-28T09:42:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T08:42:24","slug":"autism-and-pda","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/what-is-pda\/autism-and-pda\/","title":{"rendered":"Autism and PDA"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”gcid-9868c831-dc08-4be7-96b8-e0cb537cb9dc” custom_padding_tablet=”80px||80px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-9868c831-dc08-4be7-96b8-e0cb537cb9dc%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_css_main_element=”margin: auto;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Autism and PDA” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||32px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||16px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”32px||32px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”15px||15px||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Autism is \u2018<\/span>dimensional\u2019<\/span>, which means how it affects people in different areas of their life can vary. A profile of autism is a pattern of characteristics (traits or behaviours) that shape how an individual experiences and responds to the world. People with the same \u2018profile\u2019 can be very different from each other but will share some common experiences.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2d.-Autism-and-PDA@2x.png” alt=”Three people rendered in a minimal, abstract style with teal and pink lines; one is upside down in the center, flanked by two others facing sideways.” title_text=”Autism and PDA@2x” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”15px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” border_radii=”on|24px|24px|24px|24px” box_shadow_style=”preset3″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”gcid-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de” custom_padding=”80px||80px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”80px||80px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||16px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”32px||15px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”15px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Autistic people with a PDA profile will often experience common autistic traits like sensory processing differences, a need for structure or predictability, and social and communication differences. In addition to this they experience PDA traits, the most well-known being marked demand avoidance.<\/p>\n

With PDA, autistic traits are likely to differ from people\u2019s expectations, for example not having any obvious difficulties with social situations or eye contact. And because PDA doesn\u2019t reflect a mainstream understanding of autism, it can easily be overlooked or mis-diagnosed, especially at the screening stage of an assessment process.<\/p>\n

Autistic people can also experience demand avoidance without having a PDA profile. It\u2019s important to investigate the underlying reasons for demand avoidance because they might benefit from different support approaches. You can read more about this on our “What if it\u2019s not PDA?<\/a>” page.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”gcid-9868c831-dc08-4be7-96b8-e0cb537cb9dc” custom_margin=”||-91px|||” custom_padding=”80px||80px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”80px||80px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-9868c831-dc08-4be7-96b8-e0cb537cb9dc%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Spiky profiles” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h2″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||32px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||16px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”32px||15px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”15px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Many neurodivergent people have a \u2018spiky profile\u2019, with high skills in one area (like verbal communication) and big challenges in another (like sensory processing or emotional regulation). PDAers often have this kind of spiky profile too, but it can be even harder to see because of the way demand avoidance interacts with their strengths and difficulties. For example:<\/p>\n

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