Adults
Found 42 listings
Jim’s story
Jim is a 33 year old PDAer and has worked at Waitrose for 7 years. He likes to raise awareness of PDA and share his story so that parents know that things can turn out well for their child despite how challenging circumstances may be along the way. Jim [...]
Individual differences, ADHD, Adult Pathological Demand Avoidance and delinquency
Individual differences, ADHD, Adult Pathological Demand Avoidance and delinquency
In this paper, Egan et al looked at a range of different characteristics of a group of adults to analyse how PDA might fit with other described conditions. They used the EDA-Q developed in their previous work as a self-report tool [...]
Being Julia
A Personal Account of Living with Pathological Demand Avoidance.
Diagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) at aged 12 and writing this memoir at age 37, Julia Daunt depicts the ins and out of PDA and its symptoms, while maintaining a positive outlook on what is possible to achieve. Co-written with [...]
Online gaming with Max Toper
Max Toper, author of “Why Is He Still Here?” and a young autistic adult with a PDA profile has kindly recorded a three-part series of videos about online gaming for our home education “hub”. He shares insight into his experiences of the gaming world to help parents and carers of [...]
What is PDA? information sheet
This information sheet contains some essential information about PDA and what helps, in an easily shareable format... it can be downloaded & emailed or printed & shared with others (when Covid restrictions allow!).
Published by: PDA Society, May 2021
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Also available in this series are our What is PDA? booklet and What [...]
Letter to professionals
Sharing information with the professionals you’re in contact with is a great way to raise awareness and increase understanding of PDA. For PDA Day 2021 we created this new one page letter with some essential information about PDA that’s easy to share … it can be downloaded & emailed [...]
PDA best practice – the PDA community’s voice
PDA best practice - what the PDA community would like professionals to know
This is one of two videos created for PDA Day 2021 that share best practice about PDA for professionals from all sectors – including healthcare, education, social care, the law, therapists, counsellors, advocates and policy makers.
This video [...]
Pets and PDA
For some people, owning a pet greatly improves both their mental and physical wellbeing - research shows interacting with animals reduces blood pressure, lessens anxiety and improves social interactions.
Many autistic individuals and their families find pet ownership particularly beneficial. A study by Lincoln University, for instance, found that autistic [...]
Max’s story – Why Is He Still Here? book extracts
“Why Is He Still Here?” is a memoir written by Max, a young autistic adult with a PDA profile. It’s a powerful insight into his experiences of the education system and gaming world.
We’re grateful to Max for allowing us to share some extracts from his book to help [...]
Local position statements and information on PDA
Local authorities, NHS trusts and other bodies are increasingly producing and sharing information about PDA within local areas. This page contains links to such information.
Local position statements
Some local areas have found it helpful to state their position on the use of terminology around PDA.
Examples of formal position statements include:
[...]
Helen’s story – PDA in families and deciding to home educate
Helen self-identifies with a PDA profile and sees the same traits in other family members including her daughter and her Mum, with mutual understanding across the generations having led to an instinctively collaborative and compassionate approach to both parenting and education. Passionately believing that our education system is not [...]
Introduction to PDA (2021)
An introductory video about PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance).
This video is just over 20 minutes long and covers lots of information, including:
What is demand avoidance?
PDA & Autism
Key features of a PDA profile
Research & clinical themes
Why identify PDA?
How PDA can feel
What are demands?
Demand [...]
Transition to adulthood
When we think about transitions we naturally think about the big transitions like leaving school or transferring from primary to secondary school. But transitions of any kind, at any time, may be difficult for PDA individuals. Starting a new club or activity, leaving home in the morning to go [...]
What is PDA? video
This short video gives a quick introduction to PDA and was created to help raise awareness of PDA with the general public and convey some essential information about PDA in a quick and easily shareable format.
Voiced by a wonderful group of PDAers and PDA Society team members.
Published by: PDA [...]
Pathological Demand Avoidance Explained
Pathological Demand Avoidance Explained. Available in paperback and as a Kindle/E-Book.
What is PDA? What does it feel like? What does it involve?
PDA stands for 'pathological demand avoidance'. It describes a neurotype (type of brain) which is classed as part of the autism spectrum. There's more to PDA than avoiding things. This book describes what [...]
What is PDA? booklet
This booklet is designed to be an introductory guide to the Pathological Demand Avoidance profile of autism for individuals, families and professionals.
The booklet covers an overview of PDA, how PDA can feel, an insight into what demands are and how they’re avoided, info about identifying PDA, helpful approaches and [...]
National Autistic Society PDA resources
Here are links to the National Autistic Society's PDA resources:
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
Network Autism resources
What is Pathological Demand Avoidance? An adult's perspective
Pathological demand avoidance: an interview with Ruth Fidler and Phil Christie
PDA and mental health
Meeting the educational needs of pupils with PDA
Top [...]
Support for PDA adults
This page signposts some sources of useful information, support and advice for PDA adults and their families.
The PDA Society takes considerable care to check the services that we signpost, however we’re not responsible for the quality, experience or outcomes from third party organisations. We’re currently developing an accreditation process [...]
PDA-related suggestions for healthcare passports
The National Autistic Society has created a health passport template that you can either complete online and print out, or print out and complete by hand, for yourself, your child or someone you care for.
There is also helpful guidance on the National Autistic Society’s website about how to fill [...]
Helpful approaches infographic: PANDA strategies
This infographic illustrates the key strategies which are helpful in working with and understanding someone with a PDA profile of autism.
Conventional support strategies, including those often recommended for autism, are often ineffective and counter-productive with a PDA profile of autism.
In place of structure, routine, firm boundaries, praise, rewards/consequences, is [...]
Keys to care
A single page information sheet for supporting and helping someone with a PDA profile. Ideal for those working with individuals whose care-needs have been identified as relating to demand avoidance. Useful as a grab-sheet for members of staff - a regular reminder of what can help.
Also helpful for family [...]
Workplace adjustments: employers’ guide
Businesses and employers are increasingly recognising the benefits of employing autistic people, but much more still needs to be done. The Chief Executive of the National Autistic Society recently said “most autistic people who want to work aren’t able to work” because conventional roles and workplaces can present many [...]
Tim’s Top Tips: ideas for adults
Tim Collins is an adult who was recently diagnosed with PDA. Along with sharing his story with us (please see his case study) he has kindly created a list of Top Tips designed to help adults navigate their way through life.
Daily life
Keep a notepad and pencil handy at [...]
Self-help, coping strategies and therapies for adult PDAers
Here we have included a downloadable PDF version of the Self-help, coping strategies and therapies for adult PDAers page, found in the Adult Life section.
It includes suggestions for self-help, coping strategies and therapies which were assembled from a variety of first-hand accounts shared by adults, diagnosed or self-identifying as [...]
Coping with Christmas
A description of approaches that can be helpful for managing Christmas and other family celebrations.
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Adults: PDA & mental health
The following is a summary of Dr Judy Eaton's talk at the PDA Society Conference in Birmingham on 18th April 2018
Judy opened by sayings that people often ask her “what is this PDA? There was never this PDA when we were younger. Where were all these people?”. Her response [...]
Tim’s story
Tim hadn’t heard of PDA until his youngest son was diagnosed with this profile of autism two years ago. During his son’s assessment Tim realised there were parallels with his own life. He was referred to adult mental health services by his GP where he was told that despite [...]
NDTi – short introduction to PDA (2019)
NDTi has partnered with the PDA Society to help raise awareness and increase understanding of PDA – a profile on the autism spectrum.
Following the high profile programme File on 4 about Transforming Care, featuring the story of 17 year old Bethany who has PDA traits, it was felt that [...]
PDA and Mental Health Issues
In this webinar, Dr. Judy Eaton from Help4Pyschology looks at aspects of mental health in both autistic children and adults, and in particular, with a PDA profile. She explores anxiety, eating disorders and the relationship with personality disorders before going on to look the opportunities for support from family [...]
Demand Avoidance of the PDA Kind
This video was created to help raise awareness of how the PDA profile of autism can present, combining experiences kindly shared by children, young people and adults.
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