Navigating Controversy: Autism and PDA

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Got a YouTube message this morning. About Pathological Demand Avoidance ( #PDA ). A controversial #Autism sub-diagnosis. The comment got me thinking. I love that! So. I responded...🧵 #ActuallyAutistic #Neurodivergent #MentalHealth #Psychology youtube.com/shorts/9UzSXldWn-M

The writer points out that the profile fits her. And it gives both her and her teenager comfort. My response: My friend, I don't mean to argue there isn't a profile there to be discovered and researched...

Or that neurodivergents do NOT have needs for autonomy. Needs that lead to avoiding external commitment. Or that we don't suffer due to these differences at the hands of majoritarian culture. Check out the link at the end with for more discussion...

My point: Sensory and social differences are NOT pathologies. We DO differ from the majority. ALL human intrinsic differences come with strengths and challenges. I'll explore this idea more in future articles. BUT treating it as a disease to be cured...?

It's like dogs noticing that cats are more hyper than canines... And to "help" them, they decide to forcibly train or torture every cat to steam roll them into Dog Normal. Look, I'm fighting the whole Normative Narrative. That demands any difference MUST be "cured."

Frankly, I'm calling for a strengths-based, non-normative psychology for all neurodivergents. In a very real sense, we're a species apart... or a valued phenotype. Not like Worker bees or any other species model.

Our differences lie in mental, social, and cultural abilities. Not so much our physical traits. We differ in our hearts, minds, and souls. My apologies for taking so long to respond. I had to think thru and find language for what I'm trying to express....

It's not a semantic difference. To be papered over by cute, new TLAs. Coincidentally using the same three letters... Persistent Demand for Autonomy. We need to cut ties to "pathology" & the normative medical model. We need to reimagine our own psychology.

This discussion is a work in progress for me. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Together we can make change. More articles to come. But here is my most recent discussion. medium.com/artfullyautistic/pathological-demand-avoidance-pda-is-a-junk-diagnosis-d94d44d4074e