How do you deal with pathological demand avoidance?
Table of Contents
How do you deal with pathological demand avoidance?
- 5 golden rules.
- Be prepared. Have a range of choices available to the child, and think through how you will present them.
- Be flexible. Be ready to scale back demands or change your approach if the child begins to panic.
- Be indirect.
- Pick your battles.
- Tune in to the anxiety and panic which.
Is PDA in the DSM?
Whilst PDA currently falls under the umbrella diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (DSM-5), individual services/clinicians can choose to use PDA as a descriptive diagnosis alongside a clinical diagnosis of ASD.
How do you deal with a PDA meltdown?
First things to remember How you manage the meltdown makes a difference to outcomes. Separate your relationship with the child from the behaviour. Emergency rules apply; ‘Don’t hurt yourself, others or damage property’. Do remember that things broken in a meltdown may be replaced or mended, so prioritise safety.
How is PDA assessed?
Direct observation of the child (this is usually performed during an Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) assessment) Observation in a different setting (services may gather reports from other settings for this purpose when this isn’t possible)
How do I get tested for PDA?
Echocardiogram. Sound waves produce images of the heart that can help the doctor identify a PDA , see if the heart chambers are enlarged, and judge how well the heart is pumping. This test also helps the doctor evaluate the heart valves and detect other potential heart defects. Chest X-ray.
What does pathological demand avoidance look like?
Young people with PDA tend to sit on the side lines just watching what is going on. They can be described as ‘actively passive’, letting things drop to the floor from their hands. They develop strong objections to normal requests.
How does pathological demand avoidance present in adults?
People with a PDA profile are driven to avoid everyday demands and expectations to an extreme extent. This demand avoidance is often (but according to some PDA adults, not always) accompanied by high levels of anxiety.