Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA)

Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome, Elizabeth Newson, 1990
This original paper, the first to describe PDA in any detail considers, with many examples, the history of the syndrome’s identification as a separate entity from autism, and its relationship to autism and other developmental disorders. It includes defining criteria and offers preliminary guidelines for education.

Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome: a necessary distinction within the pervasive developmental disorders, Elizabeth Newson, 2003
This commissioned and peer-reviewed paper was published by Archives of Disease in Childhood in 2003. Based on 150 cases, it updates the defining criteria, summarises research on the condition, and explains the practical importance of this specific diagnosis in meeting these children’s distinctive and lasting educational and handling needs.

Pathological Demand Avoidance: discriminant functions analysis, Elizabeth Newson and Katherine Le Maréchal, 1998
This ‘poster’, prepared for the Durham Conference in 1998, summarises Kate’s research demonstrating the essential significant differences between PDA and autism/asperger syndrome (together and separately).

Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome: a statistical update, Elizabeth Newson, 1996
A paper presented to the Durham conference in 1996, which analysed the then 50 most recent cases in terms of diagnostic and other data. The syndrome proves highly consistent between the first 36 and the 50 most recent at that time.

Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome: what is the outlook? Claire David and Elizabeth Newson, 1999
This parent survey, included here by parents’ request, followed children with PDA into adulthood. In interpreting the results, it must be realised that these children’s education had taken place when PDA was hardly understood, before any guidelines were available.

Communication Development of Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome, Charlotte Graham-White, 2001
PDA children tend to have delayed communication which then develops more normally. This study suggested, however, that lack of social identity has a pervasive effect.

Educational and Handling Guidelines for Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA), Elizabeth Newson and staff at Sutherland House School, 1998
Children with PDA have been found to need very different handling, both at school and at home, from children with autism or asperger’s. While autistic children can benefit from structured consistency and rule based interventions, PDA children do not: they require much more variety and indirect approaches. These guidelines have been distilled from long experience of both school staff and parents, and suggest support needs as well as strategies.

Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome: a booklet for brothers and sisters, Julie Davies , 1993
Published as part of a series of booklets for brothers and sisters of children with autism found in a later section.

The Distinctive Clinical and Educational Needs of Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome: guidelines for good practice, Phil Christie, 2007
This paper was presented by invitation at the World Autism Congress in Cape Town in 2006. It presents an overview of the development of the concept of PDA, alongside a discussion of where it sits within the Pervasive Developmental Disorders and Autism Spectrum Disorders. The paper also draws on experience of staff at Sutherland House School to outline some key issues in making educational provision for such children. The article has subsequently been published in the Good Autism Practice journal, May 2007.


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