The Hidden Link: Autism, PDA, and Family Court

 Have you ever wondered why your child with autism seems to fight against everyday tasks like brushing teeth or getting dressed? The answer might lie in Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), a critical profile within the autism spectrum that remains shockingly under-recognized in the United States.

In this eye-opening episode, Angela Meyer shares her personal journey discovering PDA after years of confusion and heartbreak. When her son's therapist casually mentioned this term, Angela had no idea it would unlock understanding about her child's behaviors that four neuropsychological evaluations had missed. This knowledge gap proved devastating when family court misinterpreted her son's autism traits as the result of poor parenting, leading to an eight-month separation that traumatized them both.

Angela breaks down the key characteristics of PDA, including resistance to everyday demands, social manipulation strategies, mood swings, and a strong need for control. She explains the critical connection between PDA, anxiety, and trauma responses, detailing how children enter either hyper-arousal (fight-or-flight) or hypo-arousal (collapse) states when their sense of autonomy feels threatened. Perhaps most revealing is her discussion of "masking" – how autistic children often hide their true struggles in environments where they don't feel safe to be authentic, creating the deceptive appearance that they function better with certain caregivers.

This episode serves as both a personal testimony and an urgent call for better education about PDA among mental health professionals, educators, and family court officials. For parents struggling to understand their child's seemingly defiant behaviors, this information could be the missing piece that changes everything. Subscribe to the podcast for the upcoming episode where Angela will dive deeper into the window of tolerance, nervous system responses, and practical strategies for supporting children with PDA.