In this episode, I spoke with Kendahl Damashek about the concept of radical acceptance while parenting a PDA child. Kendahl is a PDA autistic mother with four PDA children 10 and under. (She's also one of the wonderful coaches on our team.)

In the conversation we spoke about:

👉 What does “radical acceptance” actually mean in real life?

👉 Why is it so important to practice this in a way that is practical in order to shift the perception of autonomy and felt safety in the home and in relationship with your child or teen.

👉Concrete examples from our own lives and working with families raising PDA children and teens when tradeoffs were necessary and how to confront that using down-to-earth acceptance strategies.

I hope you find it helpful.

xo,

Casey

PS - New to PDA? You can take our free 6-minute quiz to learn how well your child or teen fits the profile.

In this episode I speak with Pam, a mother of twin PDA 10-year-olds and a third younger sibling.

Pam has been parenting through a PDA lens for years, but one of the twins is having a harder time than the other. We talked about ways to support him, as well as mindsets that can help Pam when she worries that progress is moving slowly, and feels grief.

These are experiences common to most if not all parents of PDAers, and I am sure her story will resonate with many listeners.

xo,

Casey

PS - New to PDA? You can take our free 6-minute quiz to learn how well your child or teen fits the profile.

In this episode I speak with Christopher Deutsch, a PDA angel investor about his own life and the how some of the common traits of PDA can be beneficial to a career in entrepreneurialism.

I loved having this conversation, and hope you'll enjoy listening!

xo,

Casey

PS - New to PDA? You can take our free 6-minute quiz to learn how well your child or teen fits the profile.

Mentioned in this episode:

Want to check out our special "Try Before You Buy" offer for the Paradigm Shift Program. Use the link below to learn more and join the program waitlist to get access to the offer.

Paradigm Shift Program

In this episode I speak with a mom about her 17 year old PDA son's substance abuse, as well as his near constant presence in the family living room and the impact this has on their household.

We talk through the mother's preference for her son to be home and physically safe -- instead of out and in danger, as he has been in the past -- and the cost of this for her and their family.

We discuss all of this in the context of the son recently earning his GED and wanting to get a job. I hope you find the conversation helpful.

xo,

Casey

PS - New to PDA? You can take our free 6-minute quiz to learn how well your child or teen fits the profile.

Mentioned in this episode:

Want to check out our special "Try Before You Buy" offer for the Paradigm Shift Program. Use the link below to learn more and join the program waitlist to get access to the offer.

Paradigm Shift Program

This is the third episode of our three-part series on navigating hygiene with your PDA child or teen. (Pathological Demand Avoidance/Pervasive Drive for Autonomy)

In this episode, I talk through practical strategies to support a PDA child or teen with the following:

1. Bathing and Showering
2. Hair Washing
3. Hair Brushing
4. Nail Clipping
5. Hand Washing
6. Getting Dressed

I also discuss the logic of why accessing hygiene is difficult of some PDA children and teens, help you prioritize which hygiene practices *actually* matter to health and well-being and which you may be able to let go, and provide tons of examples of how to use accommodations such as:

1. Lowering demands
2. Autonomy
3. Equality
4. Novelty

I hope this episode lowers your stress level as a parent and gives you creative ideas to experiment with as you provide caregiving to your PDA child or teen!

xo,

Casey

PS - New to PDA? You can take our free 6-minute quiz to learn how well your child or teen fits the profile.

Mentioned in this episode:

Want to check out our special "Try Before You Buy" offer for the Paradigm Shift Program. Use the link below to learn more and join the program waitlist to get access to the offer.

Paradigm Shift Program

This is the second episode in our three-part series on hygiene and PDA. In this episode we deep dive on helping your PDA child or teen go to the dentist and brush their teeth.

Specifically, we support parents (and therapists) to understand:

1. Why teeth brushing and going to the dentist are so difficult for PDA children and teens
2. Practical tips they can use to help a PDA child or teen access teeth brushing
3. Specific examples of how to use autonomy, equality, lowered demands, novelty, and humor to support a PDA child or teen's teeth brushing
4. Strategies and example scripts to use when speaking to the dentist or dental hygienist before your child or teen goes to their next appointment.

I hope you find it helpful!

xo,

Casey

PS - New to PDA? You can take our free 6-minute quiz to learn how well your child or teen fits the profile.

This is the first of three episodes about hygiene and Pathological Demand Avoidance.

In this episode I focused on how to think about PDA and hygiene struggles, and understanding the root cause of struggles around:

1. Teeth brushing
2. Going to the dentist
3. Showering and bathing
4. Hair washing
5. Hand washing
6. Nail clipping
7. Hair cutting
8. Getting dressed

More specifically, in this episode I talk through:

1. The Deep Why behind hygiene struggles
2. Sensory vs. Autonomy as a root cause of avoidance
3. The cumulative nature of PDA and control coalescing around a basic need (in this case hygiene)
4. Discernment - Asking yourself the right questions about burnout and whether hygiene is the "stickiest" basic need for your child or teen.
5. Decision-making around boundaries before we worry about accommodations

I hope you find the show helpful. I'll release two more episodes on hygiene soon!

xo,

Casey

PS - New to PDA? You can take our free 6-minute quiz to learn how well your child or teen fits the profile.

In this episode I coach a mom of a 10-year-old PDAer who is in burnout (Pathological Demand Avoidance / Pervasive Drive for Autonomy). The child loves to cook and bake but has a meltdown if family members clean up after her while she’s in the kitchen.

She also melts down if others pass by her bedroom on the way to their own, which her mom has to do if she’s going to clean the kitchen after her daughter leaves.

We talked through if Obsessive Compulsive Disorder was also present, but decided to focus on working through the PDA lens.

We then used our decision making framework to determine how the mother could manage their bedtime routine in a way that would be more pleasant for everyone.

I hope you find the conversations helpful. It's from Parenting PDA Your Way, the show we stream live on our social media on Fridays at 1pm ET.

xo,

Casey

PS - New to PDA? You can take our free 6-minute quiz to learn how well your child or teen fits the profile.