ABSTRACT
Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is understood within the context of autistic spectrum condition (ASC) (Brooks, 2020, p. 30). However, it does not feature as a discrete disorder or condition ratified by either the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. PDA was first described by Elizabeth Newson in the 1980s as a term to describe external behaviours which are characterised by an “extreme resistance to the ordinary demands of everyday life” (Moore, 2020). The term was then validated by the United Kingdom's National Autistic Society as specific behavioural traits that relate to a deficit model of ASC.
