Pathological demand avoidance?

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Thanks OP for posting this. I've been reading up on it. I didn't know it was a thing at all, and I'm really glad I do now. It explains A LOT that other stuff didn't.

I Definately have a lot of PDA traits from reading the post. It explains some things that I wasn’t sure if they were HFA related.

dx'ed with autism but not PDA but according to that test I got mid-30s score on PDA. it would have been a much higher score when I was younger.

Updating: Just for anyone who was interested it was not PDA in our case. The assessors said PDA was extremely rare and fairly pervasive. They agreed with the idea that autistic burnout can bring on PDA like traits. Also, I think in particular in females with ASD demand avoidance can be really really high without it being PDA.

Thanks for the follow-up!
That's what I'm hoping to hear in just over two weeks.

That's good news

I am sure there are many ASD people claiming PDA when it can be explained by other things like difficult with transitions, anxiety, burnout as you say for your daughter. Watching those videos on youtube is a big help to help you determine if it fits and look at why you get that way too and if it happens all the time or when you are tired or exhausted from your day or in the middle of something or just because you don't think something is important right now so you don't do it even if someone else tells you to and then you get peeved and frustrated and mad when they nag you.

Hope all goes well at your assessment. The time waiting for assessment was really really hard on me. And then when it actually happened it was supremely intense and detailed (bring lots of snacks!!) - 7hr in our case! But at the end I was left feeling entirely comfortable that every stone had been turned and every piece of information uncovered. Now I am grinning from ear to ear, knowledge is powerful.

I got the impression from the assessors that they felt PDA is thrown about quite a lot as a new term but that it is actually fairly easy to spot PDA as it is usually fairly debilitating and anti-social.

I am grateful for the term though as without the demand avoidance it might have taken us much longer to seek out a ASD diagnosis for our daughter.

Ah, I'm pretty sure I don't have PDA. I was a "placid" child (I hate the word placid, but apparently was often described that way.) I don't do well with demands, but I think that probably an executive functioning thing.
I might have ADHD inattentive type as well as ASD.

Ok, I have PDA and have a diagnosis of ASD. Here are my thoughts:
PDA is a life long condition just like autism, and it is very much on the autism spectrum despite some aspects being different from more typical displays of autism. Also do not appreciate some people on other forums referring to PDA as being sociopathic or narcissistic, we have empathy like everyone else and I don't really see where the narcissism comes in but uh...okay
And I can say that real PDA behaviour certainly isn't just an adolescent thing. I had to drop out of school because that environment was practically poisoning my brain. Demand avoidance is much MUCH more than normal teenage procrastination, it plagues my everyday life in every possible way. I am unable to do many simple things, when I perceive something as a demand it is practically impossible, and escalation will result in sensory overload. I've had to accept that I will always have demand avoidance, it is hard and for a long time I wanted nothing more than to cure myself. I can't even do my own hobbies a lot of the time because if I feel I'm supposed to be doing something my brain will do anything it can to make sure I don't do it. And though PDAers may be social, it is still in a different way to neurotypical sociability. PDAers only love socialising when it is on their own terms, PDAers are talkative, but may ignore/not recognise social boundaries or exhibit socially unacceptable or provocative behaviour. I like to think that when I talk to people, it's more for my own amusement. Its like I'm talking to myself and people are just there to watch or make remarks. My best friend I met at a care school most likely also has PDA, and we communicate in very distinct ways that I haven't seen in any other neurotypicals.