For Parents & Carers
Most parents who find their way here are somewhere in the middle of something. A new diagnosis, a school that's not coping, a child who seems to be struggling in ways that are hard to name. (Some of you have been in the middle of it for a while.) We've put these sheets together to give you something useful to read when the questions start stacking up. Not everything will land, but something might.
Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), sometimes referred to as Pervasive Drive for Autonomy, describes a profile within autism where everyday demands and expectations can feel overwhelming or threatening to a child’s nervous system. Children with a PDA profile are not being deliberately naughty or defiant. Their nervous system can respond to demands, even small or enjoyable ones, as though they were a threat to their sense of control. If parenting can sometimes feel like every request turns into a negotiation, this guide may help make sense of what is happening and why.
Understanding Autism
Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference — a different way of experiencing the world, not a problem to be fixed. If you are reading this because someone has wondered, or because you are wondering yourself, you are not alone. Many parents arrive at autism with a mix of relief, grief, hope, and a hundred questions. All of those feelings make sense. This guide is here to help you understand what autism is, what an assessment looks like, and where to go from here.