PDA „Pathological Demand Avoidance“: A Not So Known Autism Trait

„You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.“

PDA is a neurologically rooted condition incorporatng a cluster of traits, which main characteristic is to avoid everyday demands and expectations to an extreme extent..

• Extreme levels of anxiety
• Extreme need for personal control
• Resists and avoids the ordinary demands of life
• Uses social strategies as part of avoidance, i.e. distracting, giving excuses
• Appears sociable, but lacks some understanding
• Intolerance of uncertainty
• Emotional lability (roller-coaster emotions), exessive moodswings
• Comfortable in fantasy & role play
• People focus (may be obsessive)
• Social justice drive
• Creativity
• Quirky sense of humour
• Masking drive

People with a PDA profile can appear to have better social understanding and communication skills than some other autistic people. However, these apparent social abilities can often mask difficulty with processing and understanding communication and social situations. People with this profile can appear excessively controlling and dominating, especially when they feel anxious. However, they can also be confident and engaging when the feel secure and in control. PDA is a hidden disability.

Pathological demand avoidance is not the same as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). People with ODD refuse to complete tasks because they don‘t want to complete tasks – while people with PDA often want to complete tasks but feel that they sometimes can‘t.

„Avoiding your triggers isn‘t healing. Healing happens when you‘re triggered and you‘re able to move through the pain, the pattern, and the story.“