Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people
Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people
Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more
PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is a diagnosis which may be given to an individual on the autism spectrum, though we are still at an early stage in our understanding and PDA research is in its infancy. The PDA profile of autism means that individuals share autistic characteristics such as:
Many of these strategies will with for individuals with PDA, others will not. Flexibility and imagination are key to supporting a young person with PDA.
An individual with PDA will often try to avoid every day activities, demands and expectations to an extreme extent. Some key characteristics of a PDA child at school, diagnosed or otherwise, may be:
When supporting a young person, it is important to remember that the demand, even to respond to a greeting, is physically impossible for the young person. and it is not 'chosen behaviour'.