This paper explores how the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) can help identify features of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) within the autism spectrum. It reviews existing DISCO items that appear to be more specific to PDA traits and discusses how they compare to broader autism characteristics.
The study identified eleven DISCO items that strongly align with PDA. A group of individuals with a high number of these PDA-related traits was analysed, and their characteristics matched earlier descriptions of PDA by Elizabeth Newson and colleagues. The paper emphasises the need for a clinician-rated tool to assess PDA features more systematically. It also calls for further research to clarify the PDA profile within the autism spectrum. This study is particularly useful for professionals and those interested in how PDA is diagnosed using structured clinical interviews.