All Episodes

Throwback: 5 Ways to Recognize Pathological Demand Avoidance at School | Ep. 179

Educational Exclusion, Radical Trust, and What PDA-Affirming Schooling Looks Like: Otto Specht School | Ep. 178

One Year Later: Justin's Story of Progress With His PDA Son | Ep. 177

Basic Needs and Pathological Demand Avoidance: Toileting, Sleep, Hygiene, Eating, and Safety | Ep. 176

Throwback: Is Pathological Demand Avoidance the Same as Autism, ADHD, or Anxiety? | Ep. 175

Why You're Walking On Eggshells: Cumulative Nervous System Activation And Your PDA Child Or Teen | Ep. 174

Finding Meaning as a Parent of a Pathological Demand Avoidance Child or Teen | Ep. 173

Shame, Power, and Pathological Demand Avoidance in Children and Teens with Dr. Gillian Boudreau | Ep. 172

Why Lowering Demands May Not Be Enough For Your PDA Child | Ep. 171

Using the PDA Lens to Change Your Parenting With Pathological Demand Avoidance | Ep. 170

Addictive Behaviors and the Nervous System in PDA: A Conversation With Jan Winhall | Ep. 169

Understanding the Root Cause of Pathological Demand Avoidance and Equalizing Behavior | Ep. 168

Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Advocacy for Pathological Demand Avoidance with Dr. Destiny Huff | Ep. 167

Four Ways To Create Calm With Your Pathologically Demand Avoidant Child | Ep. 166

A PDA Neuropsychologist on How Pathologically Demand Avoidant Brains Actually Work | Ep. 165

How A Dad Changed His Parenting To Stop Fighting His Child With Pathological Demand Avoidance: An Interview With My Husband | Ep. 164

Giftedness, Pathological Demand Avoidance and Burnout in Adults: My Story | Ep. 163

A Speech Language Pathologist on Selective Mutism, Pathological Demand Avoidance and So Much More | Ep. 162

What Occupational Therapists Need to Know: Restrictive Eating and Pathological Demand Avoidance Part 4 | Ep. 161

Practical Autonomy-Based Tools for Families Stuck in Food Struggles - Restrictive Eating and Pathological Demand Avoidance Part 3| Ep. 160

10 Misconceptions About Eating And Pathological Demand Avoidance Part 2 l Ep. 159

My Son Only Ate Three Foods - Eating and Pathological Demand Avoidance Part 1 | Ep. 158

Getting Husband and Parents On Board with Pathological Demand Avoidance | Ep. 157

What Radical Acceptance Actually Looks Like for Pathological Demand Avoidance Parents | Ep. 156

Raising Twin Pathologically Demand Avoidant Boys: Socialization, Therapeutic Equalizing, and the Long Game | Ep. 155

Entrepreneurship And The Strengths Nobody Talks About From A Pathologically Demand Avoidant Adult | Ep. 154

Addiction And The Long Game With Mom Of A Teen With Pathological Demand Avoidance | Ep. 153

Practical Tips for Bathing, Hair, Nails, and Getting Dressed - Hygiene and Pathological Demand Avoidance Part 3 | Ep. 152

Ep. 151 - Teeth Brushing, Dentists and Pathological Demand Avoidance

Ep. 150 - Hygiene and Pathological Demand Avoidance - Part 1

Ep. 149 - Mom Can't Get To Her Bedroom Without Causing A Meltdown For 10-Year-Old PDAer

Ep. 148 - Tips for Parenting Your Pathologically Demand Avoidant Teen - Part 2

Ep. 147 - Tips for Parenting Your Pathologically Demand Avoidant Teen - Part 1

Ep. 146 - 10 Misconceptions About Pathological Demand Avoidance

Ep. 145 - Toilet Training and Pathological Demand Avoidance - Part 3

Ep. 144 - Helping Your PDA Child or Teen Get to A Doctor's Appointment

Ep. 143 - Toileting and Pathological Demand Avoidance - Part 2

Ep. 142 - Toileting and Pathological Demand Avoidance - Part 1

Ep. 141 - Getting Started Parenting Your PDAer

A Pathologically Demand Avoidant OT on Burnout, Recovery, and Supporting PDA Kids in Practice | Ep. 140

Ep. 139 - PDA Child Is Unable To Eat Or Drink Because Of Loose Tooth

Ep. 138 - The 10 Hardest Lessons I Learned in 2025 As A Mom of 2 PDA Kids (Part 2)

Ep. 137 - The 10 Hardest Lessons I Learned in 2025 As A Mom of 2 PDA Kids (Part 1)

Ep. 136 - Teaching Frustration Tolerance to My PDA Child?

Ep. 135 - PDA Teen Can't Stop Wrestling Dad

Ep. 134 - De-Escalating Your PDA Teen in Public

Ep. 133 - PDA and ASD Evaluations for You and Your Child

Ep. 132 - When PDA Child Won't Let Me Take a Pause

Ep. 131 - PDA Daughter Pinches and Scratches Me While Falling Asleep

Neighbors Repeatedly Visited By Son With Pathological Demand Avoidance | Ep. 130

Seeking Novelty and Dopamine: Parenting a Teen with Pathological Demand Avoidance Who Wants to Buy Everything | Ep. 129

Ep. 128 - Recognizing My Second Son is PDA

Ep. 127 - How to Manage PDA Child Equalizing on the Walk to School

Ep. 126 - Supporting Your PDA Child Dysregulated by Boredom

Ep. 125 - Helping Sibling Understand PDA Sister's Equalizing

Ep. 124 - PDA Child's Equalizing Triggers My Trauma

Ep. 123 - When 4-Year-Old PDAer Equalizes on Younger Sibling

Ep. 122 - Radically Accepting My Child's PDA While Worrying What Others Think

Ep. 121 - Parental Burnout and PDA

Ep. 120 - Healthy Self-Concept for PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 119 - Life-Changing Impacts (for all) By Shifting How They Parented Their PDA Child

Ep. 118 - PDA, Screens, and AI - Oh My!

Ep. 117 - Is My Child PDA or Non-PDA Demand Avoidant?

Ep. 116 - Choosing Your Perspective While Parenting A PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 115 - Journey of a PDA Parent with a PDA Child

Ep. 114 - Is PDA always Autism?

Ep. 113 - You're Not Parenting Your PDAer Wrong!

Ep. 112 - Alumna Talks About Parenting PDA and Two Other Neurotypes

Ep. 111 - Compulsive Eating by Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 110 - Speech Dude and I Talk School Accommodations for PDA Children and Teens

Ep. 109 - My Conversation with Physician and Founder of All Brains Belong, Dr. Mel Houser

Ep. 108 - 10 Tips to Improve Connection and Communication with your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 107 - 20 Things I'd Tell Myself About My PDA Child's Restrictive Eating

Ep. 106 - Screens and Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 105 - How to Know if Your Child or Teen is PDA

Ep. 104 - Harmful Myths About PDA in Children and Teens

Ep. 103 - Healing Your Nervous System as a Parent of a PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 102 - Six Things from Buddhist Psychology that Help Me Parent My PDA Child

Ep. 101 - The Biggest Surprise in 5 Years of Occupational Therapy with My PDA Son

Ep. 100 - What If My Partner Won't Accommodate Our PDA Child or Teen?

Ep. 99 - Helping Our PDA Children and Teens Build a Healthy Self Concept

Ep. 98 - What About When My PDA Child or Teen Grows Up?

Ep. 97 - Demi Burnett's Story as a PDA Autistic Adult

Ep. 96 - Could Making Your PDA Child Walk Prevent Them From Eating?

Ep. 95 - Where Parents, Therapists and Teachers of PDA Children and Teens Get Stuck

Ep. 94 - Normalizing PDA Parenting Techniques

Ep. 93 - Grief, Ableism and Other Diagnoses while Parenting Your PDA Child

Ep. 92 - Tips for Holiday Parenting Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 91 - School Advocacy For Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 90 - Offering Summer Camp to a PDA Child - An Alumni Story

Ep. 89 - Parenting PDA Children and Teens so They Access Basic Needs

Ep. 88 - Lowering Demands for Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 87 - Controlling, Criticizing and Destructive Equalizing in PDA Children and Teens

Ep. 86 - PDA en Español!

Ep. 85 - If Your Co-Parent Wants Evidence of PDA

Ep. 84 - Using Declarative Language with Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 83 - Misconceptions on Setting Boundaries with a PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 82 - Changing to a PDA Parenting Approach Can Be Awkward!

Ep. 81 - Is ABA Really the Gold Standard for Our PDA Children?

Ep. 80 - Can Therapies Help PDA Children and Teens?

Ep. 79 - When and How Do You Correct Your PDA Child or Teen?

Ep. 78 - Why Behavioral Approaches Don't Work With PDA Children and Teens

Ep. 77 - From Solution Seeking to Decision Making While Parenting A PDA Child

Ep. 76 - What the Lack of Research on PDA Means (and Doesn't Mean)

Ep. 75 - Signaling Safety to Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 74 - The 4S's of Nervous System Regulation for Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 73 - Interview with Kelly Edwards: Unschooling Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 72 - You Don't Have to Be Perfect!

Ep. 71 - The Role of Intuition While Parenting a PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 70 - Advocating With Your PDA Child or Teen's School

Ep. 69 - What to do when your PDA child or teen is controlling, criticizing, swearing at you...?

Ep. 68 - Externalized vs Internalized PDA

Ep. 67 - Donna Georgen: Expert Coach for Parents of PDA Tweens, Teens and Young Adults

Ep. 66 - None of This is Your Fault! (Shame and Parenting a PDA Child or Teen)

Ep. 65 - What is it like to grow up as an internalized PDAer?

Ep. 64 - Parenting a PDA Child like Scientist Would

Ep. 63 - Parenting PDA Children and Teens Amidst OCD, Violence and Siblings with Dr. Alex Klein

Ep. 62 - Violence and Risk Mitigation Raising a PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 61 - Kendahl Damashek: Expert Coach for Parents of 2E PDAers

Ep. 60 - Polyvagal Theory and Parenting a PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 59 - Angry and Exhausted from Advocating for Your PDA Child? These ideas can help.

Ep. 58 - How Polyvagal Theory Explains Masking in PDA Children

Ep. 57 - Conversation with Dr. Alex Klein, Clinical Psychologist

Ep. 56 - PDA Children Avoiding Writing and Drawing

Ep. 55 - Boundaries vs Rules with Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 54 - Play Therapy and PDA - A Conversation with Therapist Lauren Stern Noel

Ep. 53 - Parenting vs Caregiving for a PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 52 - Rhythms versus Routines when Parenting a PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 51 - Signalling Safety to Your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 50 - Sensory Processing Disorder or Pathological Demand Avoidance?

Ep. 49 - Conversation with Lauren Stern Noel, Developmental Therapist (and great friend!)

Ep. 48 - Siblings and PDA (Again)

Ep. 47 - What skills do we need to parent our PDA children?

Ep. 46 - "Strewing" to Accommodate your PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 45 - First PDA Discussion with Dr. Alex Klein, Clinical Psychologist

Ep. 44 - Five places parents get stuck

Ep. 43 - Guilt and second arrows as parents of PDA children

Ep. 42 - Service Dogs and PDA

Ep. 41 - PDA and Taking a Research Perspective

Ep. 40 - If I accommodate now, what will happen when they grow up?

Ep. 39 - Parenting through the holidays

Ep. 38 - Is PDA on a spectrum?

Ep. 37 - Let's talk about empathy

Ep. 36 - Are you a PDA parent of a PDA child?

Ep. 35 - 6 Tips for Making Halloween More Manageable for your Family.

Ep. 34 - The fawn and freeze responses

Ep. 33 - Behavioral approaches and why they don't work

Ep. 32 - Is therapy good for PDA kids?

Ep. 31 - What does it look like long term if we don't correct our children's "bad behavior"?

Ep. 30 - Have you "radically accepted" your PDA child or teen?

Ep. 29 - Can you "heal" Pathological Demand Avoidance?

Ep. 28 - OCD, Anxiety or PDA?

Ep. 27 - Is My Child PDA or Autistic with Demand Avoidance?

Ep. 26 - What is the difference between PDA and trauma?

Ep. 25 - Reframing Progress as a Parent of a PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 24 - Finding *your* unique PDA child or Teen's Edge.

Ep. 23 - Sticker Charts and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

Ep. 22 - Timelines, Pre-PDA Awareness, and My Son's Burnout

Ep. 21 - Marriage and Co-Parenting with a PDA Child or Teen

Ep. 20 - Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) vs. Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

Ep. 19 - Identity: Yours, Your Child's, and Mine

Ep. 18 - Why is Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) so Hard to Understand? - Part II

Ep. 17 - Why is Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) so Confusing? - Part I

Ep. 16 - Toileting and Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

Ep. 15 - Siblings and PDA

Ep. 14 - Your "Secret" and "Inappropriate" Questions about PDA

Ep. 13 - The Three Stages Parents of PDA Children and Teens Go Through

Ep. 12 - Parenting a PDA Child or Teen with an Experimental Mindset

Ep. 11 - "Aren't You Just Rewarding Bad Behavior?"

Ep. 10 - Masking, PDA Children and Teens, and YOU!

Ep. 9 - How to Manage the Holidays with a PDA Child

Ep. 8 - How do I know if my child is PDA or Autistic with Demand Avoidance?

Ep. 7 - 4 Ways to Support Your PDA Child's Nervous System

Ep. 6 - What is a "Cognitive Loop" for a PDA Child or Teen?

Ep. 5 - Grief and Radical Acceptance as a Parent of a PDA Child

Ep. 4 - Boundaries and the PDA Child

Ep. 3 - Rewards and Consquences and the PDA Child

Ep. 2 - Supporting Eating for a PDA or Demand Avoidant Child

Ep. 1 - Recognizing Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in an Educational Setting