PDA

[Minxygal]

Just out of curiosity how many of you have had PDA mentioned alongside Autism and Aspergers? (Pathalogical Demand Avoidance)

 

I know that the Autistic society once published a report that described PDA as autism with malice, not a label I'd openly welcome or agree with but I did wonder how many of you have encounted PDA.

[phasmid]

I have encountered it (in the family), but not with son who has AS.

[Minxygal]

I'm really lucky in that the school my son attends is pretty clued up when it comes to PDA but I know there are many parents really struggling to get schools to understand the implications of PDA. I suppose that's because PDA is relatively new.

[Elanor]

I'm very cautious about this diagnosis. In many respects it looks like a set of behaviours sometimes encountered in autism, not something different. It also hasn't got much international backing - it is described by Professor Elizabeth Newsom, but is still a relatively new theory, as far as I can tell.

 

The NAS is sceptical that it is a disorder that is different from ASDs -

 

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=306&a=3352

 

Elanor

[Minxygal]

To be honest I don't disagree with anything said there. I know of a few parents who concider their child to have PDA alone and not attached to autism. My son definitely doesn't have the insight or understanding of peoples feelings as described by Professor Newson. The PDA side of him sits side by side with his autism for sure. My son is not socially skilled as the syndrome would describe the typical PDA child to be. I agree that this is a set of behaviours that can be seen within the autism blanket, I suppose for us its the strength and the magnitude of those behaviours that makes it so hard to contend with. I fear for my son in the future if I am honest. Autism with malice, it's a horrible label is it not, although living the way we do malice is one of the gentler words I would use to describe the child we live with.