Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and alternative explanations – a critique

This short presentation looked to both situate my own critique of PDA theory and that of alternative explanations that have been offered in relation to autistic people and their reactions to both external and internal ‘demands’. In an essay that I wrote in 2013 (see Milton, 2017), there were a number of contentions that I raised in regard to PDA theory: most importantly the pathologising of resistance (and this potentially of self-advocacy), the issue of identifying with a pathological medicalised view of oneself, and how the PDA profile could be explained as part of autism, but demand avoidant behaviour could also be seen for differing reasons in non-autistic people. I also raised issues in regard to categorical thinking in relation to support strategies for autistic people. In this respect the issues raised by the PDA community relating to the ‘tried and tested methods’ used with autistic people being ineffective may well be because these methods are not as robust and effective as many would like to portray. Indeed, many of the strategies related to PDA would potentially be good strategies for those across the autistic spectrum and beyond.