At the 2024 PDA North American Conference this year I did a breakout group session with co-host PJ Starling on the topic of PDA and adulting. Early in it became clear that the audience concerns were around 1) whether or not people with older children could expect their PDA child to “adult” with success, and […]
It is common for PDA adults who enjoy sexual intimacy to freeze up by the expectation in it. These are individuals who desire the sexual contact, feel safe with their partners, and are willing participants, and yet aspects around sexual intimacy can inadvertently create pressure and shut us down. Expectations can be: Celebrating romantic occasions,
Reminder that my goal here isn’t a meltdown-free life. All kids and adults have meltdowns, but especially if you are living neurodivergently. I consider it a success when my kids only have one or two a day (depending on age, puberty, so on), myself only one or two a week, and if I’m able to
Public Service Announcement Read More »
Recently I’m reading a lot of off-the-cuff claims that “studies” show a higher correlation of PDA “traits” tied to ADHD than to autism. This is my own off-the-cuff response to these claims: I have zero issue with eventually affirming PDA as it’s own diagnosis that has a high co-occurrence with ADHD and/or autism, but if
Is PDA a byproduct of ADHD? Read More »
I don’t know if I’ve heard very many “we once were a chaotic household, and now we have peace!” stories when it involves PDA. I’ve been a PDA advocate for around a year and a half and much of what I share are the collective experiences of other families, their struggles and successes, my own
This ship has slowly been turning around, and… Read More »
Edited to remove more specific commentary on the situation in order to protect victim’s rights. This image I made is labelled for PDA families but is honestly true of ALL children. Children need caregivers to help guide and provide supports where needed. Adults on the other hand are responsible for utilizing the resources they have
A Response to the Harry Thompson/NEST controversy Read More »
Note: This isn’t intended for diagnostic purposes, and keep in mind that there is usually an overlap in conditions. Expanding the discussion to compare and contrast different diagnoses that look similar to PDA. By request I’ve included B&W versions at the end. From a clinical perspective it becomes difficult to accurately diagnose PDA because of
Different Styles of Demand Avoidance, part 2 Read More »
A graphic I made last year that attempted to tease apart different styles of demand avoidance was popular enough that I decided to repost it last week. I then decided it could use some expanding, and came up with the following: In black and white: It has since been shared almost a thousand times making
Different Styles of Demand Avoidance Read More »
I’ve mentioned before that one of my kids has a different PDA profile than me, which means they have a different way of expressing their anxiety so I struggle troubleshooting with them as much as anyone would (and maybe more because his way of regulating triggers my own sensitivities). I’ve also mentioned how PDA anxiety
Why Knowing the Correct Diagnosis Matters Read More »