
A Practical Parent's Guide to PDA and Autism
Reduce Meltdowns, Navigate Diagnosis & Access School, Insurance and Financial Resources to Transform Your Life Now
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Narrated by:
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Scarlett Rae Elliott
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By:
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Michelle Davis
About this listen
Transform Meltdowns into Breakthroughs: Your Complete Guide to Parenting Children with PDA and Autism. Are you exhausted from parenting a child who seems different, but you're not sure why? Whether you're struggling to get a diagnosis or tired of advice that doesn't work, this guide offers real solutions.
Do you recognize these daily struggles? You suspect PDA or autism but don't know how to start the diagnostic process. Your child's extreme demand avoidance makes even simple requests impossible. Traditional autism strategies aren't working because PDA requires a different approach.
You're not alone - no matter where you are. Your purchase includes access to international support directories covering over 18 countries, ensuring families worldwide can access local support.
This book provides the roadmap you've been searching for. Written by Michelle Davis, a healthcare policy expert and mother of a child with autism and PDA, this isn't another clinical manual—it's your practical guide to creating real change.
Inside, you'll discover a Complete Diagnostic Guide that helps you understand the signs of PDA and autism while navigating the evaluation process. You'll learn about Essential Financial Resource Access, including how to secure Medicaid and SSI benefits and access grants and financial assistance. The Education & Family Solutions section covers winning school accommodations through IEPs and 504 Plans, as well as supporting siblings and maintaining family balance. Through Therapy Solutions, you'll understand different therapy options and how to make therapy work specifically with PDA. The PDA Management Toolbox provides proven strategies for managing demand avoidance and methods for reducing anxiety that actually work.
This book is for parents who need solutions—not theory. For families seeking hope, not judgment. For every caregiver who knows their child is unique, valuable, and worthy of success but needs the right support to thrive.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2025 BrightPath Publishing LLC (P)2025 BrightPath Publishing LLCListeners also enjoyed...
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-
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-
Performance
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-
-
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- By Valerie Koelling on 05-27-21
By: Linda K. Murphy
-
Navigating PDA in America
- A Framework to Support Anxious, Demand-Avoidant Autistic Children, Teens and Young Adults
- By: Ruth Fidler, Diane Gould, Sarah C. Wayland - foreword
- Narrated by: Katherine Fenton
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Although Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) has been a recognized autistic profile in the UK for some time, awareness is still growing in America. When parents first learn about it they talk about having a lightbulb moment of understanding their child better. Many described how, having found traditional parenting and behavioral techniques made things worse instead of better, they felt judged and alone. Teachers and school administrators also reported struggling to support their PDA students. The children, teens and young adults themselves were often left feeling misunderstood.
-
-
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- By Anonymous User on 07-31-24
By: Ruth Fidler, and others
-
Low-Demand Parenting
- Dropping Demands, Restoring Calm, and Finding Connection with Your Uniquely Wired Child
- By: Amanda Diekman
- Narrated by: Lauryn Allman
- Length: 4 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Low-demand parenting allows you to drop the demands and expectations that are making family life impossible and embrace the joyful freedom of living life with low demands. It can be a particularly effective approach for children with high anxiety levels including neurodivergent children. Parent to neurodivergent children and autistic adult Amanda Diekman outlines a parenting approach that finally lowers the bar for the whole family, enabling the equilibrium of the home to be restored.
-
-
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- By Amazon Customer on 11-01-23
By: Amanda Diekman
-
Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome in Children
- A Guide for Parents, Teachers and Other Professionals
- By: Margaret Duncan, Zara Healy, Ruth Fidler, and others
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Straightforward guide to understanding PDA for anyone needing an overview of the condition. Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA) is a developmental disorder that is being increasingly recognised as part of the autism spectrum. The main characteristic is a continued resistance to the ordinary demands of life through strategies of social manipulation, which originates from an anxiety-driven need to be in control.
-
-
This is the one!!!
- By notabaldpainter on 08-09-21
By: Margaret Duncan, and others
-
The PDA Paradox
- The Highs and Lows of My Life on a Little-Known Part of the Autism Spectrum
- By: Harry Thompson, Felicity Evans - foreword
- Narrated by: Elliot Chapman
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Diagnosed with pathological demand avoidance (PDA) in his teenage years, Harry Thompson looks back with wit and humour at the ups and downs of family and romantic relationships, school, work and mental health, as well as his teenage struggle with drugs and alcohol. By embracing neurodiversity and emphasising that autistic people are not flawed human beings, Thompson demonstrates that some merely need to take the 'scenic route' in order to flourish and reach their full potential.
-
-
A great resource for PDAers & their loved ones
- By Rochelle Esser on 12-18-21
By: Harry Thompson, and others
-
The Family Experience of PDA
- A Guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance
- By: Eliza Fricker, Ruth Fidler - foreword
- Narrated by: Heather Long
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eliza Fricker gets it. Describing her perfectly imperfect experience of raising a PDA child, with societal judgements and family pressures, she knows how easy it is to feel overwhelmed, resentful and alone. The Family Experience of PDA explains these challenging situations and emotions in a way that words simply cannot, bringing some much-needed levity back into PDA parenting.
By: Eliza Fricker, and others
-
Declarative Language Handbook
- Using a Thoughtful Language Style to Help Kids with Social Learning Challenges Feel Competent, Connected, and Understood
- By: Linda K. Murphy
- Narrated by: Elsa Levytsky
- Length: 2 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Do you know children who get upset when their routines change? They might also struggle to see the big picture, make friends, solve a problem in real time, and read nonverbal communication. Meltdowns, tantrums, and other challenging behaviors might be common. This audiobook was designed to teach you how making small shifts in your language and speaking style that will produce important results.
-
-
Must read for kids with social difficulties!
- By Valerie Koelling on 05-27-21
By: Linda K. Murphy
Practical, helpful, and empathetic.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is the handbook no one gives you after that overwhelming diagnostic appointment. The financial section has already saved us thousands of dollars, and lots of time, by explaining supports we didn't know existed. The therapy breakdown finally helped us understand which approaches might work best for my daughter's specific needs.
For schooling, I learned exactly what accommodations to request and how to advocate effectively, especially important since autism often presents differently in girls.
The meltdown management techniques have brought peace to our home in ways I never thought possible. Instead of everyone ending up in tears, we now have practical tools to help my daughter when she's overwhelmed.
What I appreciate most is how the book addresses our entire family ecosystem - from marriage strain to balancing attention between family members.
If your child has recently been diagnosed with autism or any neurodivergent condition, think of this audiobook as your "What to Expect" guide for the journey ahead.
It's not just information—it's the supportive voice that helps me be the parent my daughter needs.
Autism - The Parent's Handbook You Need Now
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