{"id":7873,"date":"2025-04-11T20:40:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T19:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/?page_id=7873"},"modified":"2025-05-13T18:22:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:22:17","slug":"origins-of-term-pda","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pdasociety.org.uk\/pda2025staging\/research-professional-practice\/origins-of-term-pda\/","title":{"rendered":"Origins of term PDA"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The term Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) was first introduced by developmental psychologist Prof Elizabeth Newson OBE in the 1980s. She used it to describe children attending her clinic who showed an \u201cobsessional avoidance of the ordinary demands of everyday life.\u201d \u00a0She said these children were \u2018\u201catypically autistic\u201d but also typical of each other.\u2019<\/p>\n

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At the time, Newson proposed PDA as part of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), which we now think of as the autism spectrum. Continued research into PDA has led to its recognition as a profile of autism, though more studies are needed to fully define PDA, understand how to identify it, and discover what support works best for people with this profile.<\/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-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-d4d84b5e-d061-48e7-894c-a52b4e3d47de%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}”][et_pb_row make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_css_main_element=”margin: auto;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”PDA and autism research” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h2″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||32px||false|false” 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=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”24px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||16px||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>The first academic paper on PDA was published by Newson\u2019s team in 2003, but research remains in its early stages, with fewer than 100 peer-reviewed studies to date. In comparison, broader autism research spans decades and thousands of studies, focusing on areas like social communication, sensory processing, and repetitive behaviours.<\/span><\/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” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-9868c831-dc08-4be7-96b8-e0cb537cb9dc%22:%91%22background_color%22%93}”][et_pb_row make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_css_main_element=”margin: auto;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Demand avoidance itself has received limited attention” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h3″ custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||32px||false|false” custom_css_main_element=”max-width: 544px;” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”24px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _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” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>While it is experienced by autistic individuals both with and without a PDA profile, PDA presents unique patterns.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/span><\/span><\/span>More research is essential to define PDA, understand how it overlaps with other conditions, and, most importantly, discover effective ways to support individuals experiencing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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