What Is PDA Or EDA?
What is Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) or Extreme Demand Avoidance (EDA)?
PDA is a profile on the autism spectrum involving the avoidance of everyday demands. PDA people also have autistic characteristics/traits.
The defining feature of PDA is:
- a survival drive for autonomy,
- intolerance for uncertainty and balance* that can override other survival instincts or basic needs like hygiene, sleeping, eating, safety even toileting. The extreme avoidance extends to basic demands of everyday life and not just unpleasant difficult or anxiety provoking tasks and jobs – including difficulty in complying with their own self-imposed expectations and with things that they really do want to do.
For these reasons, PDA’ers want to control and avoid demands at all costs. This potent drive to control creates immense anxiety (not general anxiety) and it is a lot more severe resulting in fight, fright, flight, freeze, fawn and even fibbing.
Feelings don’t necessarily come into it because it more than not a nervous system reaction, pathological i.e., it is hardwired into their brain. I think of it as a neurotype. Demand avoidance is a question of “can’t and not won’t. They will when they can! It can be described as a neurological tug of war between brain, heart, and body.
*A note about balance – If PDA’ers feel “below” and not equal to or in balance with someone then their threat response can be activated and they display compensating behaviour, usually against their safety person or youngest/weakest, at all costs of losing their autonomy
PDA is not just demand avoidance and is a lifelong disability
Characteristics of PDA/EDA are as follows:
- Resists and avoids the ordinary demands of life.
- Need for control, often driven by anxiety or an automatic “threat response”.
- Excessive mood swings and impulsivity.
- Comfortable in role- play and pretend, sometimes to the extreme.
- Appearing sociable but lack in depth and understanding. This behaviour may mask the underlying differences and difficulties in social interaction and communication.
- Obsessive behaviour – usually focussed on people (real or fictional).
- Using social strategies as part of avoidance.
- Conventional approaches in support, parenting or teaching are ineffective.
More characteristics of Behaviour associated with PDA:
- Bossy and controlling.
- Domineering and overbearing.
- Parents describe Jekyll & Hyde personality.
- Sometimes more comfortable with adults than children.
- Language delay with a good degree of catch up.
- Sensory issues – noise, light, touch, clothing, food preferences and textures.
- Unable to follow rules and routines, especially if set by others.
- Behaviour at school and home are very different.
- Unconcerned about their behaviour towards others and the impact and consequences.
- PDA’ers are prone to meltdowns and panic attacks especially when they are highly anxious, and this may result in aggressive behaviour
- They sometimes turn to role-play to comply
- They can be over familiar with adults and don’t necessarily see hierarchy – everything must be fair!
- Oversensitive/hypersensitive to voices and facial expressions and may also absorb others’ emotions
A terrific book that resonated with me and where I realised my little girl had PDA was “My Daughter in not naughty” By Jane Sherwin.
To find out more about PDA visit www.PDASociety.org.uk