But it’s better understood as a result of anxiety and inflexibility. In kids who fit the PDA profile, resistance is sometimes mistaken for willful defiance, says Cynthia Martin, PsyD, clinical director of the Autism Center at the Child Mind Institute. It’s called pathological when the avoidance is extreme and interferes with functioning at home or at school.
#Pathological fear structure how to#
People with PDA tend to have an adverse reaction to being told how to behave or what to do, even when it’s something that’s an ordinary part of their daily life - and even when it would benefit them. It is seen most often in people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. That pattern of behavior is called pathological demand avoidance, or PDA. Avoidance can take many forms, including making excuses, creating a distraction, intense focus on something else, withdrawing, escaping, or having a meltdown or panic attack. But some go to extremes to avoid or resist anything they perceive as a demand. Working with kids who have PDA you have to tap into what motivates them to do something, rather than butting heads with them.Īll kids avoid doing things they’re asked to do from time to time. Kids can have PDA if they’re not on the autism spectrum, too. They may not grasp the schedule or structure in a social situation like a classroom, so when a demand is placed on them, it can feel like it came out of nowhere. While other kids do many routine things because they’re expected to or because that’s what everyone else is doing, autistic kids might not feel the same motivation to fit in. At home they may refuse to do routine things like taking a shower or getting dressed, so parents end up doing a lot of things for them that they could be doing themselves.Īvoidance can take many forms, including making excuses, creating a distraction, intense focus on something else, withdrawing, escaping, or having a meltdown or panic attack.Įxperts say kids with autism may have PDA because they tend to be inflexible and they aren’t as tuned in to social cues as other kids. This makes it hard to teachers to know what they can do. At school, these kids often resist doing classwork even though it’s not hard for them. This avoidance is called “pathological” because it interferes with their functioning at home or at school. It is seen most often in people with autism. But some go to extremes to ignore or resist anything they perceive as a demand. All kids avoid doing things they’re asked to do from time to time.
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