"Pathological Demand-Avoidance" (PDA): A "pathological"/ extreme avoidance to its hype.

“Pathological Demand-Avoidance” (PDA) is a proposed assessment category, with interest centred in the United Kingdom as “PDA Profile of ASD”. This substantial interest, some might say hype, outstrips PDA’s small and frequently poor-quality evidence base. This talk presents an introduction to PDA’s clinical need and ongoing-historical debates. Then progresses onto the plausibility non-autism features are attributed to autism via premature reification of PDA as a “Profile of ASD”. Additionally, PDA controversies are discussed before a practical transactional stress model for PDA is provided. Finally, PDA’s strategies and their supporting rationale within PDA’s clinical need are critically evaluated. It is vital to prevent premature reification of “PDA Profile of ASD”, partly because it is plausible PDA is the result of factors which are not innate to an individual.