Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is an extreme resistance to everyday demands, such as getting dressed or brushing the teeth. Researchers often associate PDA with autism, especially in children.

Demand avoidance is a natural human behavior. To some degree, we all avoid doing things asked of us. We might avoid doing the dishes when our partner asks because the chore feels tedious or ...

Pathological demand avoidance is when someone goes to great lengths to ignore or evade demands. PDA is often mistaken for defiance, but it is a unique behavior pattern that can cause challenges.

When 11-year-old Milly and her mum Jenny arrived at the school principal's office, Jenny's heart sank. There were more people there this time than usual — and she knew this would be a problem for her ...