Lastly, demand avoidance is common and can be seen in many individuals, For e.g. Continuing to misunderstand the profile as typical autism or oppositional defiance risks increasing the child’s suffering and can worsen the symptoms. Applying strategies for PDA across home and school settings gives the child the best chance of a good outcome. Both clinicians and researchers have found that the profile is a useful one to discover because the parenting and therapeutic strategies to assist an autistic PDA-er differ from those strategies used for an autistic person who does not have a PDA profile and is also different from the strategies used for a non-autistic child who is experiencing problems. PDA officially stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance, a term coined by Professor Elizabeth Newson in Nottingham, UK, in the 1980s to describe a group of children who seemed autistic but who were ‘atypical.’ Language around autism has evolved in recent years, and it is now widely referred to as ‘PDA, a profile of autism’. ”Due to their differences in neurology, processing and arousal, (it is) likely that PDAers are more susceptible to being adversely impacted by negative life events, and consequently may be prone to experience trauma in their lives….their experience of having their behaviour misunderstood and being forced to comply with directions they are otherwise unable to complete due to high anxiety has led to them experiencing ongoing trauma that further impedes their ability to form relationships with adults and engage in learning activities.” Dundon R.By Dr Michelle S Garnett & Prof Tony Attwood A behavioural approach may cause more trauma in the child’s life. It’s something they do not CHOOSE to do but do as a matter of survival. Individuals with PDA have a neurological condition: their nervous system is not able to cope with the demands so they end up compensating for this by controlling their environment as much as possible to make themselves feel safer. In fact, behavioural approaches can cause more anxiety for the individuals who live with PDA and can cause bigger and longer meltdowns and more withdrawals from interactions and society. Videotaping our sessions so we are able to review them later to watch the child’s interactions with us and signs of any demands or triggers we may have placed on the child which we weren’t aware of in the moment of the session.Being playful and creative and using fun in the session, while minimising any direct requests, interactions and demands but at the same time providing them with opportunities to make choices if this is what they require.Trying to remove and reduce demands as much as possible.Recognizing when the child is overwhelmed and responding to this straight away.Supporting the child’s regulation strategies by allowing them to regulate in a way that will make them feel calm, and trust the person they are interacting with.Making the environment and interactions consistent and predictable.Developing a sense of safety and trust with the child and their caregiver by establishing a strong therapeutic relationship with them.Starting therapy sessions where the child is at and following their lead, trying not to impose any demands on them – this usually means going slow and supporting the child to feel they are in control of the therapy session.Working out the child’s sensory sensitivities, special interests, triggers of anxiety or challenging behaviour (which may be therapy itself if they have had traumatic experiences with different types of therapy and therapists), signs of stress and agitation, what the child is good at and what makes them happy and relaxed.What Strategies Could Be Helpful to Someone Who May Be Living With PDA?Īt My Therapy House we have been using our trauma-informed practice methods as well as information we have gained about PDA from the UK and therapists like Dundon to work with clients who present with characteristics of PDA. Our Visiting Consultants and Counselors.Understanding Regulation and Behaviours.Pathological Demand Avoidance Disorder (PDA).The Start of your Child’s Therapy Journey.Therapy for Children with Autism in Adelaide.My Therapy House ® – Client Service Agreement.
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