ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) profile, considers why there is particular interest in PDA among those who are interested in autistic girls, and looks at strategies that can be effective in supporting girls with PDA. There continues to be ongoing debate about the concept of PDA in terms of whether it describes a separate and distinct group, nonetheless, PDA is increasingly viewed as a profile within the autism spectrum. The understanding of PDA is based on the original work of Professor Elizabeth Newson in the 1980s, and reflects the views about PDA of the National Autistic Society and the PDA Society. Due to the profile of PDA including seemingly better social skills, variability across settings such as a difference between behaviour at school and at home, and raised anxiety which leads to avoidance with a drive to control, there are often parallels drawn with other autistic girls.
