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Autism's confusing cousins

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350 points Anon84 | 3 comments | 06 Dec 25 11:18 UTC | HN request time: 0.668s | source
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tezza ◴[06 Dec 25 14:22 UTC] No.46173568[source]▶
While this topic is here

Also see specialisms WITHIN Autism that are different to the mainstream Autism

The one I know most about is

PDA: Pathological Demand Avoidance [1]

PDA presents differently and needs very different strategies to mainstream Autism.

Main signs… kids under 12 attend school. However they explode at home or in private. At school the PDAers are masking (pretending to fit in) which is draining. When they get home the pent up frustration is released (explosively). So the family at home see a very different kid to the one that school/extended family witness. If this is an A-Ha! lightbulb moment for you or your child, see the questionnaire at the PDA Society[1]

[1] https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/what-is-pda/

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1. wisty ◴[07 Dec 25 01:18 UTC] No.46178351[source]▶
But ... pda behaviour is very similar to OCD.

Is it due to stimulous overload or anxiety? I think that's the difference.

The point being misdiagnosis ocd as pda is a risk if autism is the only thing people consider. Maybe not a a huge deal since realistically a misdiagnosis often means you get a pamphlet with broadly similar advice and maybe and cbt anyway ... but maybe I'm being overly cycnical.

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2. resoluteteeth ◴[07 Dec 25 03:26 UTC] No.46178894[source]▶
Do you really mean OCD? Or do you mean OCPD? I wouldn't think that OCD would be similar to PDA.
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3. wisty ◴[07 Dec 25 08:28 UTC] No.46180129[source]▶
Yes. And yes, OCD can look similar I think (IANAP). Both are often anxiety driven. Try telling someone with OCD to put on their shoes quickly if they are paranoid there's a spider in them ...

Sure there might be some "pure" pda where it's 100% down to reacting against demands. But AFAIK it can be also driven by autism related anxieties ("I can't do that because for some reason it's freaking me out and I can't explain it, so I'll get mad and then think I'm mad because I don't want you ordering me around"). Or it's just "I didn't understand the first 16 times and now I'm mad that you're mad ..." which is more like pda as it's often described ... but is it always that?

OCD is often anxiety over specific fears ("if I do that I might make a mistake, and if I make a mistake it's the end of the world, so I'll get mad and think I'm mad because I don't want you ordering me around").

Anyone a bit "weird" can be reactive if you tell them something that seems reasonable to you but isn't reasonable to them.