PDA and Play Therapy

Description:

While it is common for children to avoid doing things that they’re asked to do from time to time, sometimes there is an extreme level of avoidance and resistance that a child can exhibit anytime something is perceived as a demand. Avoidance can take many forms, including escaping into fantasy, making excuses, creating a distraction, intense focus on something else, withdrawing, or having a meltdown or panic attack.

When a child goes to extremes to avoid perceived demands, caregivers may benefit from further exploring pathological demand avoidance support strategies. Pathological Demand Avoidance, or PDA, is most commonly identified as being a profile of Autism.

While it is widely recognized in the UK and other countries, therapists in the United States are only now beginning to explore PDA in professional settings. Regardless of what country a play therapist practices in, we are tasked with supporting children with demand-avoidant behaviors, and…