In this episode, we discuss why the Halloween - and the holidays - are so tough on PDA children and teens, as well as their parents, and I offer some tips to help you get through the beginning of what we call "The Gauntlet" in my family (the period between Halloween and my son's bday in January). Remember - it's not you! It's totally normal to dread these times of the year because of societal demands and expectations! I hope this podcast episode serves you. To connect with me, find me...

In this episode Casey talks about the fawn and freeze responses to nervous system activation. To connect with me, find me here: Instagram TikTok Facebook YouTube For Courses, Programs, Coaching and Consulting, find me at At Peace Parents, LLC Thanks for listening! You are an amazing parent. xoxo, Casey

Casey discusses why behavioral approaches don't work for PDA children and teens.

Casey talks about therapy for PDA children.

This episode explores what I call "The Theory of Change" of parenting a Pathologically Demand Avoidant (PDA) child or teen through an accommodation approach over the long term (years!). We talk about the logic behind lowering demands and making choices that feel counterintuitive as a parent to support your child back into their "thinking brain." We also discuss radical acceptance and what that means day-to-day as a parent as a PDA child or teen.

This episode discusses what it *actually* looks like to radically accept your PDA child or teen. For many parents this is where the rubber hits the road and it is less about a nebulous or theoretical "acceptance" of a neurodivergent child, and more about the points at which we have to accept that raising a child with a nervous system disability requires tradeoffs to our lifestyle, letting go of certain expectations we had for our lives, and cost-benefit decision-making within constraints. I...

In this episode, we discuss the difference between trauma and Pathological Demand Avoidance, as well as the overlaps in terms of your child's or teen's behavior. We talk about how you can heal trauma, however you cannot heal a neurotype, but rather accommodate it through trauma-informed parenting and practices. Sometimes, as parents, we don't know where the line is between trauma and neurotype, so we have to be consistent in connection and accommodations and observe our own data about your...

This episode is designed to do three things: Give you clarity on how to figure out the root cause of your child's controlling and avoidant behavior - Is it Anxiety, OCD and/or Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)?Help you notice subtle differences in controlling and avoidant behavior to determine if there is more than one thing going on.Encourage you to startobserving and tracking your chlid or teen's unique "indicators" (Basic Needs access, Connection and Trust with you, and Nervous System...

"Is my child Autistic with Demand Avoidance OR is my child PDA?" This is a question I get often from parents, so this is a free training to help you discern the answer that question for yourself. We will cover: Figuring out which "lens" is most helpful to support your unique child and the root cause of the behaviors you observe.Understanding that it is not an "either/or" or binary situation where PDA kids don't have social communication differences or that non-PDA autistic children and teens...

In this episode, I answer this very commonly asked question: What is the difference between PDA and trauma? As part of my answer, I discuss five things: 1. Why there is so much confusion between PDA and trauma. 2. Why there are different root causes behind similar nervous system activation. 3. Where there are points of overlap between PDA and trauma. 4. Different approaches to supporting them.   5. What we don't know yet about healing vs. accommodating a neurotype vs. neuroplasticity...

This episode is an excerpt from the "Progress with PDA" workshop and is a way of looking at progress, even when you feel your most stuck as a parent. This perspective is the "yin" side to the "yang" of tracking data and indicators of progress that you observe of your PDA child or teen as they move out of burnout and towards more well-being.  I hope the episode serves you.  To connect with me, find me here: Instagram TikTok Facebook YouTube For more resources for parents, including...

In this episode, I answer the question: "What do I do when my PDA child or teen really wants to do something - see friends, play a sport, engage in an activity - but there is a big fallout afterwards?" To connect with me, find me here: Instagram TikTok Facebook YouTube For more resources for parents, including #actuallyautistic pages to check out and a list of PDA-affirming practitioners in North America, check out the resources page at PDA Parents. For Courses, Programs, Coaching and...

In this episode, Casey shares the logic behind why sticker charts, laminated schedules, strict routines, and many of the supports used with children who have social communication differences and executive functioning differences actually backfire with PDA kids and young adults.  To connect with me, find me here: Instagram TikTok Facebook YouTube For more resources for parents, including #actuallyautistic pages to check out and a list of PDA-affirming practitioners in North America, check...

In this episode, Casey shares her story from the perspective of a parent as she experienced the time leading up to her son's burnout (3.5 years old), her son's burnout (5.5 years old), and the current moment (8.5 years old).    She ends with a spiritual insight from Buddhism about not shooting oneself with the "second arrow" when things are hard. To connect with me, find me here: Instagram TikTok Facebook YouTube For more resources for parents, including #actuallyautistic pages to check...

In this episode, I share an excerpt from the Paradigm Shift Program session that focused on Marriage, Co-Parenting, and Communication dynamics while raising a Pathologically Demand Avoidant (PDA) child or teen. I share my personal story, how raising a PDA child has impacted my marriage and share one fundamental insight about being the "lead" parent vs. the parent who is doing less of the caregiving. This is a great episode to listen to with your partner to help you get on the same page and...

In this episode, I outline the ways in which the description of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM)-5 overlaps with some of the surface-level indicators of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) or "Pervasive Drive for Autonomy." Although there are many things that look the same on the surface, if we dig deeper to discover the root cause of your child's behavior, you may realize that Oppositional Defiant Disorder isn't really an explanatory diagnostic...

In this episode we explore identifying with a particular neurotype - whether it is Pathologically Demand Avoidant (PDA), Autistic, Neurotypical, ADHD, or none at all- and the choices we have for ourselves and for our children. At the core, we discuss how autonomy is incorporated into the process of your child choosing an identity, and separating that from medical diagnosis and the nervous system mechanisms that lead to fight/flight/freeze. Hope you enjoy! To connect with me, find me here:...

Why is Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) so hard to understand as a parent and for therapists, pediatricians, teachers, and people looking in on your child's life? In this episode, I answer the following questions:  How do I know whether it is "defiance" or typical kid behavior or Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)?How do I know whether it is Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), or ADHD? Can a PDA child appear...

Why is Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) so hard to understand as a parent and for therapists, pediatricians, teachers, and people looking in on your child's life? In this episode, I answer the following questions:  My child doesn't seem Autistic, can they still be Pathologically Demand Avoidant (PDA)?My child seems typical some of the time, can they still be Pathologically Demand Avoidant (PDA)?  Citations: Term "High Masking" from Rachel Dosey, Autistic SLP "Far From the Tree:...

In this episode on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and Toileting, we discuss the impact that cumulative nervous system stress has on toileting, through two mechanisms:  The nervous system's fight/flight or freeze response and how it impacts the metabolism, cortisol, and adrenaline, all of which impact digestion and toileting, and "Control coalescing" around toileting as a way to get back to a place of perceived safety. The episode concludes with some practical parenting advice on how to...

In this episode, I tackle the complex and often difficult topic of managing siblings and a PDA child at the same time, as well as the impact on siblings of raising a PDA child or child with a sensitive nervous system in the same home.  Please note: This is recorded from a live video and so often when I said "Accidentally" I used air quotes because it was not truly accidental.  To connect with me, find me here: Instagram TikTok Facebook YouTube For more resources for parents, including...

In this episode, I answer questions that parents submitted as "secret and inappropriate" about PDA.  I answer as honestly and objectively as possible!  The five questions were: ✨ Can you have “PDA Lite”? ✨ Is PDA always Autism? ✨What happened to an older generation of PDAers? ✨Can trauma cause PDA? ✨Do you think autism and PDA are more common now or do you think it is because we have broader diagnostic tools? Citation:  "Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of...

This episode describes the three stages of the journey that parents of PDA children and teens go through on their path to peace. First, the "Doing Everything" phase where you learn and do everything you possibly can to help your child. Second, the "Structural Change" phase where you make changes to your lifestyle and make difficult tradeoffs that reflect the fact that you are raising a child with a nervous system disability. Third, the "Surrender" phase where you seek out meaning, purpose,...

This episode describes why allowing yourself an experimental mindset while trying new approaches and accommodations with a PDA child or teen is so important. So you stop judging or paralyzing yourself with a fear of "doing it wrong" or not following some set of rigid rules.So you stop seeking answers that are already within your intuition and capacity to observe in day-to-day life with your child.So you stop comparing your path to other families, whether neurotypical or PDA.So you allow the...

In this episode I answer the question I get over and over on social media, in my coaching containers and in the programs I run: "Are you just rewarding bad behavior by using an accommodation approach with your PDA child?" It is a very valid question and one that I grapple with daily because we have all been conditioned to think like this. Here I give you four ways to think about this as you are making decisions about whether and how to accommodate your PDA child's nervous system and threat...