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Rabbi Shoshana's Blog

Am I PDA? Is My Child? A big list of common PDA traits

Written by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman, PDA Coach Kory Andreas, LCSW-C Jenna Goldstein, Psychologist Who wrote this list? We are a PDA...

Jan 2815 min read

6 steps to make doctor appointments more accessible to PDA kids & teens

by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman How can we drop demands & offer autonomy, control, and social equality in a medical setting? How can we...

Nov 23, 20245 min read

4 Lessons from PDA Autism that help me stay grounded in these divided times

by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman #1: Grandiosity is a thing and I can let it go. Before I knew I was Autistic, I felt personally...

Nov 18, 20244 min read

Is therapy helpful for PDA kids & teens?

Is therapy helpful for PDA kids and teens? This post answers the question through an approach called The PDA Safe Circle.

Oct 8, 20245 min read

6 Things I Wish I Knew When My PDA Autistic Son Started Preschool - Early Childhood & PDA Autism

6 Things I Wish I Knew When My PDA Autistic son Started Preschool

Aug 20, 20244 min read

What medications help PDAers & what if taking meds is outside the person's safe circle?

‼️ I am not a doctor & this is not medical advice. ALWAYS talk to YOUR doctor before stopping or starting any medication. I am speaking...

Jul 25, 202411 min read

How Western culture contributes to the PDA threat response

The PDA threat response may not be so disabling in other cultures.

Jul 20, 20246 min read

What are common strengths of Autistic PDAers?

What are common strengths of Autistic PDAers, and how does cultural context help us answer this question?

Jul 14, 20244 min read

Separation Anxiety: 6 steps parents can take to support PDA children

6 steps parents can take to support PDA children with separation anxiety

Jun 19, 20244 min read

How unlimited screen time works in our home & how I recommend parents approach screens with PDA kids & teens

How unlimited screentime works in our home and how I recommend PDA parents approach screen usage for their kids.

May 18, 20249 min read

Can PDA Kids Love School? Yes - I did. But the conditions were particular.

My child and I are both Autistic and PDA. PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance, or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy. Understanding of...

Apr 3, 20245 min read

6 Areas I Practice Low Demand Living

What is Low Demand? I came to the concept of Low Demand Living through Low Demand Parenting. Low Demand Parenting is the idea that we can...

Mar 24, 20249 min read

7 Powerful Mindset Shifts for Educators of PDA students

by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy, a little-known profile of...

Mar 14, 20246 min read

Why is conventional school hard or impossible for most PDA children?

by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman To understand why school is difficult or impossible for so many PDA children & teens, we need to know...

Feb 28, 20244 min read

My Autism Self-Diagnosis Story

by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman When my son was 3, we started bringing him to a private Occupational Therapist to help with sensory...

Feb 17, 20244 min read

Internalized v Externalized PDA

by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman That's funny... you don't look PDA! My son & I are both Autistic with a PDA profile. PDA =Pervasive...

Feb 16, 20242 min read

How do internalized PDA'ers assert control or "equalize"?

by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman I am what is known in the PDA community as an internalized PDAer. In this post, I explain what that...

Feb 16, 20245 min read

I think my child might be Autistic but the pediatrician says "not to worry." What should I do?

by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman As parents we look to our pediatricians to be experts in child development. But actually, most general...

Feb 11, 20243 min read

Autistic Limerence: The risks of when a person is a special interest

by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman What is Limerence? Limerence is one name for infatuation with another person. It is not a regular crush....

Feb 3, 20245 min read