PDA, Neurodivergence & the Perpetually Determined Advocate

This episode looks at what happens in the event that you have to call for emergency assistance during one of your PDAer's meltdowns.  I recently sat down with a police officer to get some insight on how to handle the process, and what can be done to help lessen the misunderstandings that can sometimes accompany a meltdown.  Below are a list of links mentioned in the episode: PDA brochure...

Now that we have 10 episodes out, we're going to take a short hiatus until November, and then we'll begin a "season 2" of sorts. We hope to continue providing information, awareness, acceptance and support to all of the listeners out there. Thank you for all of your support and messages so far, and keep them coming!

This episode looks at the burnout that parents feel and ways to combat that.  It also stresses the idea that feeling burnout does not make you weak or any less of a parent.  As parents to neurodivergent kiddos, sometimes we feel like we aren’t supposed to feel these things. That it is somehow seen as weak or inappropriate to feel the weight of our lives. We have to remember that we are h...

We are a bit late posting this episode due to Covid making a stop by our house.  Still, I took it as a learning moment (like any good teacher), and decided to talk a bit about the snags of navigating quarantine with a PDAer. As always, a transcript of the episode can be provided.  Simply email perpetuallydeterminedadvocate@gmail.com

This episode looks at school refusal, some of the potential triggers and some things that parents can do to help ease the anxiety that can cause refusal.  I'm also including some links to great resources I found about school refusal below. https://schoolrefuserfamilies.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/nfis-parents-guide-v-2-april-2018.pdf https://itmustbemum.wordpress.com/2017/04/11/what-to-record...

The episode we discuss different parts of parenting a child with PDA.  This episode was made possible with the help of my awesome PDA group, and I am grateful to them for their input and suggestion of so many great topics.  We talk about things like flexible schedules, impulsive behavior, Plan B parenting, shutdowns, and not forcing PDAers to comply with demands.  Mentioned in this...

In this episode we talk to Dr. Jessica Myszak from the Help and Healing Center in Glenview, Illinois.  She shares with us some of the classic signs of PDA, and how to go about the assessment and diagnosis process as well as how to work toward getting accommodations for individuals with PDA in schools.  For more information, or to contact Dr. Myszak, visit www.helpandhealingcenter.com. &n...

This time I wanted to combine the podcast with a love of mine, books.  The books presented in this episode look at PDA from varied persepctives, and are also aimed at a variety of audiences.  So, whether you are looking for a way to see PDA through the lens of a PDAer, understand it as a parent or teacher, or provide understanding of PDA to a child, I have something for you.  I woul...

This week, we are joined by Adreanna, a former educator and future superhero for kids as she opens up about her childhood trauma and mental health journey that led her to consider a diagnosis of ADHD, and the overlap of neurodivergence and PTSD.  Adreanna plans to begin a master's program in psychology and eventually get her PsyD to be able to help children who have experienced trauma and hel...

In this episode, I talk about way the Autism spectrum is more round than linear. The Autistic Experience can be vastly different between one autistic individual to the next, and this is an important topic to consider. Mentioned in this episode is Aucademy https://aucademy.co.uk/ For a far more brilliant explanation of what Autism is check out the "What *is* autism really" recording on the Aucademy...

In this episode, we will look at the main signposts of PDA used in diagnosing, as well as talk about some of the ways that PDA can be misdiagnosed.  We will also talk about sources for more information about PDA.  The sources mentioned in today's episode can be found at the following links: PDA Society: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/what-is-pda-menu/identifying-pda/ PDA North America: ht...

This first episode explains what Pathological Demand Avoidance is in a broad sense. Discussed in this episode are PDA Paradox by Harry Thompson, also the link to the PDA Society's website www.pdasociety.org.uk and PDA North America www.pdanorthamerica.com. These websites provide excellent information as well as articles that you can read to gain insight into the origins of identifying PDA as a sep...