
Likewise therapists may need to adopt a tailored approach when working with PDA. Many more generic autism resources – such as social stories, books, games, activities, computer games and apps – may also be helpful, but may require some creative adaption, or a more indirect form of implementation, to be effective with PDA children. Our Keys to Care one-pager was written primarily with in-patient settings in mind but is also a useful summary of helpful approaches. There are many resources, including webinars and books, which cover helpful approaches for children with PDA and our adult life section may be useful for older children. Our PDA Panda ambassador symbolises helpful approaches for PDA and the P A N D A mnemonic on our infographic below provides a useful summary:
PATHOLOGICAL DEMAND AVOIDANCE TREATMENT PDF
This two page PDF is a helpful summary of the approaches outlined on this page.


PATHOLOGICAL DEMAND AVOIDANCE TREATMENT PROFESSIONAL
I strive to be that helpful, nonjudgmental professional in the lives of families. I don’t know how anyone parents a complicated kid without support. Too few people feel permitted to talk about this. It was the best and most difficult experience of my life. To be honest, I found parenting challenging.

This practice and my interest in trauma led me to specialize in the complex PDA profile. As my understanding of autism has changed, I have tried to stay current. I have focused on working with autistic and other neurodivergent individuals for most of my career. Over the last 40-plus years, I have worked in schools and social service agencies before starting a full-time private practice 14 years ago. Since graduating college, I have focused my career on serving vulnerable children and adults, and struggling families.

In addition to helping others, human behavior was always interesting to me. During my 20s, I attended the Jane Addams School of Social Work to pursue my master’s degree after obtaining an undergraduate in behavioral psychology. In the 4th grade, I read a book about Jane Addams and decided to become a social worker.
