Thanks for your feedback on our service.
We understand that this situation can be quite confusing and wanted to explain why it may be the case that Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) has been diagnosed in one area of the city but not another.
Our Autism Spectrum Disorder team works according to the guidance from the National Autistic Society, which considers PDA as a particular presentation of behaviours for some people on the Autism Spectrum. When we complete an assessment for a patient where Autism is the diagnostic outcome, we will then go on to describe the strengths and areas of need for this young person, which will include a description of anxiety and behaviour, if this is an issue. This is where we would describe presentations that others might call PDA. We don’t call this PDA because of the newness of this categorisation within the Autism Spectrum. PDA is not included in the standard diagnostic classifications, which will influence whether clinicians use this as a standalone diagnosis. While some clinicians may be confident to make this diagnosis by making use of research evidence and practice guidance, many will not. This may lead to PDA being diagnosed in some areas but not others.
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