Pathological Demand Avoidance: Is It a Trait or a Disorder?
Do you know what pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is? While not a DSM-5 diagnostic, it is a set of personality traits and behavioural features that correspond to a fraction of individuals who are on the autism spectrum.
It has an impact on how individuals respond to ordinary demands and expectations, both their own and those of others. Externally, they appear to frequently refuse to comply with demands from others, even when doing so would be in their best interests. Internally, people may feel entirely incapable of doing things that they want for themselves if they feel burdened by the demands of the situation. While PDA is the most common in children, it can also exist in adults.
What is Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in Children?
Every child avoids doing things they are supposed to do on occasion. However, some children may go to great lengths to ignore or fight something they perceive to be a demand. It is more common among people with autism spectrum disorder.
This avoidance is considered to be pathological since it interferes with their ability to perform within their homes or at school. Even though the job is not difficult for them, these children frequently resist doing it in school. This makes it difficult for teachers to understand exactly what they should be doing.
At home, they may refuse to undertake ordinary tasks like showering or dressing, so parents find themselves doing a lot of things for their benefit that they might have done independently. Making excuses, providing a distraction, focusing attention, withdrawing, leaving, or having an outburst or panic attack are all examples of avoidance.
There are various possible factors for increased demand avoidance: it could be situational, related to physical or mental health, or related to a developmental or personality issue. It might be difficult to distinguish between underlying causes at times.
Symptoms of Pathological Demand Avoidance in Adults
Since PDA is a collection of traits and actions rather than a formal diagnosis, there is little information available for diagnosing or detecting PDA.
PDA autism symptoms in adults include:
1) In response to daily pressures and expectations, autistic individuals with PDA may suffer exceptionally high levels of anxiety and stress.
2) They may have difficulty cooperating with simple requests and instructions.
3) Some of them may appear to have superior social awareness and interpersonal abilities than other autistic individuals, which they may exploit. These apparent social qualities, however, frequently conceal difficulties in processing and comprehending social interactions and situations.
4) Adults who also have autism may also struggle with emotion regulation, resulting in mental outbursts, breakdowns or shutting down as a means of coping.
5) Whenever their surroundings change or they need to shift to a different hobby, life stage, or some other transition, they may demonstrate resistance.
6) They may not respond normally to reward systems, which means that reinforcing or rewarding preferred actions and punishing non-preferred behaviours is inefficient in modifying behavioural patterns.
Treatment for Pathological Demand Avoidance
There is no cure for pathological demand avoidance because it is a personality trait, not an illness. Understanding pathological demand avoidance might help you manage the challenges of daily life if you happen to fit the PDA description. If you are a loved one of someone who matches the PDA profile, understanding PDA might help you better support them.
It's crucial to recognize that the consequences of pathological demand avoidance vary widely from individual to individual, and each person with pathological demand avoidance has a unique set of strengths and challenges. Understanding and respecting the unique needs and viewpoints of the individual can be critical in providing appropriate support and adjustments.
Many people who fit the Pathological Demand Avoidance profile learn to control their demand avoidance and construct successful lives for themselves, frequently through enhancing their level of autonomy.
One of the most essential reasons for differentiating this demand avoidant profile from other disorders and autistic profiles is to guarantee that the child receives the appropriate educational approach.
Structure and routine are not frequently appealing to people who fit this profile. They will feel more in charge of their learning and so less worried if they negotiate in an indirect manner. Having the correct support for Pathological Demand Avoidance may ensure that their faith and trust in themselves develop, as does their capacity to manage more flexibly with life's daily challenges.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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