The Teacher's Introduction to Pathological Demand Avoidance: Essential Strategies for the Classroom

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When teaching or supporting a child or young person with PDA this approach is unhelpful and often counterproductive. For our students with PDA, non-compliance is generally a sign of anxiety surrounding the demand. If we use increasingly firm or even fierce language and tone of voice, then we make that demand more and more immovable, thereby increasing the anxiety experienced by the student with PDA. The greater their anxiety, the lower their tolerance for demands and so as we work through the levels from clear instruction to firm ultimatum, we make it less and less likely that the instruction will be followed and in the process we make an already anxious child or young person even more anxious. Some (low quality) research highlights a relationship between this characteristic and the presence of both: Instead, our aim is to reduce the anxiety surrounding demands. A consequence of this is that the child or young person is more likely to be able to participate in what that they previously found too demanding; but the aim is not to ensure compliance, it is to reduce anxiety. passivity/withdrawal (becoming floppy; curling up into a ball; not responding; walking/running away; withdrawing into fantasy) Research suggests that the understanding and acceptance of demand avoidant behaviour is fundamental to accessing the right support.

We don’t know. Because demand avoidance is currently understood as one characteristic in a person’s neurodevelopmental profile and is neither a diagnosable standalone condition nor is there a standardised assessment for the characteristic, there are no data to reliably indicate how common it may be. It is hard to draw conclusions from the limited and often low-quality research that exists.persistent difficulties with social communication and social interaction,” and, “restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, activities or interests,” present since early childhood to the extent that these, “limit and impair everyday functioning,” (according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fifth Edition, DSM-5) We have prepared a letter for parents and carers of children and young people who experience demand avoidance to send to schools and local authorities in situations where support may be being denied or withdrawn with reference to this characteristic. The letter explains our position on best practice in autism assessments, which must record all of a person’s characteristics, including demand avoidance, and details the school and local authority’s legal duties in providing support that is tailored to an individual’s unique profile and needs.

Title: Dimensions of difficulty in children reported to have an autism spectrum diagnosis and features of extreme/‘pathological’ demand avoidance The overwhelming anxiety of realising that a demand cannot be avoided, or that these forms of resistance have been exhausted, may result in meltdown or panic, potentially including aggression. These states are usually out of the person's control. Title: The Distinctive Clinical and Educational Needs of Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome: Guidelines for Good Practice Before I met students with PDA, I had a very clear idea of how I wanted my classroom to run, and it didn't involve flexibility, child-led learning, problem-solving or collaboration. When I first went into teaching, I was determined that I was going to lay down clear rules and expectations and use traditional behaviour strategies such as rewards and consequences to ensure that every child followed my instructions. But that was before I had met a student with PDA..... When the way I was teaching no longer met the needs of the people I was teaching, I had to change my approach....Everyone experiences ‘demand avoidance’ (resistance to doing something that is requested or expected of you) sometimes. However, here we use demand avoidance to mean the characteristic of a persistent and marked resistance to 'the demands of everyday life’, which may include essential demands such as eating and sleeping as well as expected demands such as going to school or work. Brain-Body Parenting, How to Stop Managing Behavior and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids by Mona Delahooke, PHD. There is limited research on support strategies; however, general advice from personal accounts and professional resources includes: the complex characteristics can instead be understood by considering the individual’s social, sensory and cognitive sensitivities, any co-occurring conditions and whether their environment is suited to their needs This book offers many insights that would be extremely helpful to anyone working in education. The chapter on managing the needs of the PDA student in a class of thirty and the subsequent chapter about paperwork and EHCPs include great advice that could help both children and adults. This book might be one that parents would like to pass on to whoever is working with their child in another setting.

Please note that the following proposed characteristics have historically been described using language associated with the deficit model (of autism), which many people consider inaccurate and offensive; the language below represents a sanitised version, but this should not be considered an endorsement. good understanding/recognition of neurodivergence (including of complex needs) by health care professionals a direct demand (an instruction, such as ‘brush your teeth’, ‘put your coat on’ or ‘complete your tax return’)The key is to fight the urge to escalate things and instead focus on reducing anxiety by reducing demands. So, you want to start at the level of invitation or casual suggestion: ‘Are you ready to do literacy at the moment or are you busy with that drawing?’ Then if that doesn’t work you aim to de-escalate not escalate, so try talking to yourself: ‘I’m wondering what words to use to start a letter to the Queen.’ If that doesn’t work you could add some humour: ‘I might go with, “Hey, Queenie!”’ challenges and exhaustion from trying to find effective ways to reduce, disguise or remove demands and support the person

Being Julia – A Personal Account of Living with Pathalogical Demand Avoidance | Ruth Fidler and Julia Daunt appearing sociable, but experiencing differences in social understanding (such as recognising hierarchies)

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an indirect or implied demand (including any expectation, such as a question that requires an answer, food in front of you that you are expected to eat, or a bill arriving that needs to be paid). Demands, particularly external ones, cause me great distress, even if I want to participate or do the action, every suggestion always has a knee-jerk ‘NO!’ response.”