PDA resources
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Anonymous
NP, but I agree that ABA doesn’t work for PDA. Neither of our clinics were able to grasp that DC’s demand avoidance was an involuntary anxiety-based reflex. ABA was beneficial for maladaptive behavior, but their interventions for PDA only made it worse. |
Anonymous
What were the qualifications of the provider? |
Anonymous
Had multiple providers but two BCBAs and two RBTs. |
Anonymous
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Not local, but I second the recommendations for Casey with At Peace Parenting and Kristy Forbes. There is controversy in the PDA community because Kristy Forbes is a PDA adult who designed a program and alleges that Casey has taken her material and used it to create her own business as a parent to a PDA child. They both have content that has been tremendously helpful for my family, but I’m putting the information out there with the caveat that some people are decidedly against using Casey’s stuff.
I also recommend the book Declarative Language Handbook by Murphy. As a parent to a PDA kid that started with an anxiety diagnosis and CBT, got diagnosed autistic as a teen, changed to a neurodiversity affirming provider, and now has had multiple consults with professionals who confirmed our suspicion (though without a diagnosis) that they are PDA, I can say that declarative language was the thing that got us started on the right path. We immersed ourselves in PDA content online for a while, read the declarative language book, spoke with some local PDA affirming providers (Donna Henderson at Stixrud, Jaclyn Halpern at Playful Therapy Connections), and have gone totally low demand with our kid. It’s still very hard, but it has gotten a lot better for all of us. Another local practice I haven’t used but heard good things about for neurodiversity including PDA is Seven Corners Psychotherapy. Apologies if this was not exactly what you asked for and more info than you were looking for, OP. I hope some of it is useful. PDA is a really tough road. |
Anonymous
| This is PP, I should have added that everyone has different experiences, but my kid still talks about CBT in a way that breaks my hearts. CBT was not an appropriate fit for our PDA kid, but we didn’t realize it at the time. Out kid’s high-masking, people pleasing nature makes it super hard to recognize what is traumatizing them. |
Anonymous
What company I’d like to make contact. |
Anonymous
What’s kind of weird troll are you? Leave the PP alone. |
Anonymous
| My PDA teen (now doing great, excelling at school and happy) but difficult years before we all understood PDA) still talks about how traumatizing ABA was |
Anonymous
| PDA is not even a legitimate diagnosis. |
Anonymous
🧌 |
Anonymous
It’s a profile on the SPECTRUM of autism. It’s a legit diagnosis in the UK. It is diagnosed in the US. Just because it isn’t in the DSM currently, doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future. It just takes time. Why do you not think it’s legit? What about it bothers you? |
Anonymous
| PDA is a fake diagnosis that’s given to parents of manipulative children that don’t know how to parent. |
Anonymous
Yea because my AUDHD kid who has a litany of lagging skills suddenly can turn into a master manipulator at the drop of a hat. 
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Anonymous
Troll. Let me guess you are a special educator or BCBA? |
Anonymous
Parent of an ASD/ADHD teen who fits the PDA description. You are correct. And also, some of PDA lore is faddish (the catch phrase "low demand" comes to mind) and I predict that research will lead to refinement. And also, the DSM is not a perfect document handed down from on high. And also, some treatments (CBT, DBT, etc) work across multiple diagnoses. And also, with complicated cases, medical professionals make judgment calls. And also, having a description helps other types of professionals such as teachers, who need frameworks to understand certain students in order to foster progress rather than cause harm. |