The Family Experience of PDA: An Illustrated Guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance

Really helpful and quick to read! I never feel like I have time to read so I have A LOT of books “on the go”. However, I finished this book within a day and that works for me! It provides some really good insight and advice and I feel like someone finally understands. I would recommend it to anyone who suspects their child has PDA. I’m completely overwhelmed most days, and although this book isn’t going to solve that overnight, it has given me some tools to try out before I completely burn out.

A great book. I read it in one sitting. Really encapsulates life with a PDA child, gives concise practical examples of how to parent a PDA child in a collaborative way. The comic book style illustrations really help me to remember key phrases and approaches. Reading this also made me feel better about not knowing how to parent my PDA child yet and about it not being possible to always get it right. Eliza has done a wonderful job in writing this book to support families and it is so accessible that I will be recommending it to family and friends to read as well.

Reading this book today was one of the most emotional moments of my life. Suddenly, we are not alone. It is like Eliza has been stood in my house watching our daily life. Recently I had been considering the fact that my daughter could be a PDA child but after reading this I am 100% sure. Many tears have been shed today, and a weight has been lifted. This book is amazing. Easy to read and understand. The illustrations are wonderful. I will definitely be sharing it with anyone that spends time with us as a family. It also gave me hope, and reassured me that I am doing okay. There were so many of the strategies that Eliza uses in the book that we have already discovered ourselves. This gave me a much needed boost of confidence too.

I enjoyed the book thoroughly, great tips absolute love and acceptance of child demonstration all throughout connection in relationships vital.

I thought the book was well written for all families to access. It was reassuring to hear similar struggles in other households with a pda child. But, it was a very quick read- only took me about half an hour. It would be good for grandparents etc to give them a quick overview without overwhelming them. Don't think it is worth £12.99 though!

“The Family Experience of PDA” is perfect for families who are seeking to understand and support children who are highly anxious and sensitive to demands. Eliza emphasises the need for curiosity, flexibility, collaboration, and positive relationships. The fun illustrations and personal anecdotes, along with the concise nature of each chapter, make the book really accessible. The topics will resonate with the lived experiences of many parents and carers. Eliza’s writing also offers reassurance after months or years of attempting more traditional parenting strategies. It’s significant that one of the final chapters notes how long it can take for these children to feel safe and supported, and how important it is for parents and carers to look after themselves in the long-term.

I have always loved the author’s comic strip illustrations as Missing the Mark, and this book combines them really well with useful information about how to parent a demand avoidant autistic child (whether they are diagnosed PDA or not) in a calm, low arousal way. Every new page brought more familiarity with our own experience. This will be super useful for all parents and grandparents who want a calmer household and a less anxious child. Bonus - if you’re like me with an ADHD brain that whizzes through this can be a quick read, but it will be worth revisiting many times and lending out to friends.

Eliza’s illustrations are amazing. They brings a light hearted touch to the sometimes frustrating process of working out how to parent a child with PDA, and any parent who has been there will laugh out loud in recognition. The book speaks directly to parents, is respectful of children and is honest yet never negative about the delicate dance which develops between parent and child. I particularly liked the section on socks and on sensory overload - the illustrations bring it to life in a way words just can’t alone.

It’s very easy to read and understand. I have read it so fast! Highly recommend!

I really appreciated the lived experience and how the author shares real life strategies both for her daughter and for herself as a parent.

We are parents of a kiddo with the PDA profile and this book was a refreshing and easy read. Many of the strategies we'd already read about on the internet previously, but the author describes the strategies and insights along with real-life examples (and lots of illustrative cartoons) of what they have noticed in her family. Reading a book written by an actual parent who is also learning how to best parent a kiddo with the PDA autism profile (as opposed to psychiatrists or autistic authors that don't have PDA themselves) made this book easy to digest, presented strategies in ways that I feel confident in trying myself, and the visual illustrations she included work well with the way I process information and learn. I handed this off to my husband five minutes after reading so he could read it and plan to share it with our kiddo's favorite adults who are always working hard to make him feel safe and calm even when his anxiety is high.

I read this as a mom of a PDAer living in the US where PDA is a relatively new, unexplored, and sometimes controversial diagnosis. I’ve turned to a lot of resources in the UK and this book has been one of my favorites, especially to share with other family members and caregivers of my PDA child.

An easy read packed full of insight into life as a parent of a PDAer. I’ve shared this with several friends who all loved it too! I didn’t learn much as we’re well researched and informed but I did find it very reassuring and comforting that we’re not alone.