PATHOLOGICAL DEMAND AVOIDANCE SYNDROME
CONTACT GROUP

The documents below give further information about PDA for anyone wishing to learn more about the disorder. They are all available from the Elizabeth Newson Centre, the address of which is given at the foot of this page. There is a nominal charge for most of the documents to cover reproduction and postage.

• Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome: diagnostic criteria and it's relationship to autism and other developmental coding disorders - Elizabeth Newson (1983).
• Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome: A statistical update -Elizabeth Newson (1996). A paper presented at the Durham Conference on autistic spectrum disorders in 1996. The 50 most recent cases of PDA (out of 150 total over 20 years) are analysed in terms of diagnostic and other data. The syndrome proves highly consistent between the first 36 and the latest 50. (A4 - stapled).
• Defining Criteria for Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome, and a Comparison with Autism-Elizabeth Newson. Gives examples of how the criteria might be shown.
• The Family of Pervasive Developmental Disorders -Elizabeth Newson (1999).
• Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome. Discriminant functions analysis demonstrating its essential differences from autism and Asperger's syndrome -Elizabeth Newson & Kathryn Dent (le Marechal) (1988).
• Educational and Handling Guidelines for Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA) -Elizabeth Newson. Children with PDA have been found to need very different handling, both at school and at home, from autistic/Asperger children. Where autistic children can benefit from structured consistency and rule based interventions, PDA children do not; they require much more variety and indirect approaches. These guidelines have been distilled from long experience of both school staff and parents, and suggest support requirements as well as strategies. This document is available on this web site.
• Children with Pathological Demand Avoidance syndrome: a Booklet for Brothers and Sisters -Julie Davies. Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome has recently been isolated as a pervasive developmental coding disorder, separate from but related to autism. This booklet aims to help the brothers and sisters of children with this disorder but is extremely useful to anyone wishing to get a basic outline of the disorder.
• A Circle of friends -Derek Wilson and Colin Newton. Reprinted from 'Special Children' (1996), the article describes an approach to the support of children through engaging their own peer group. Especially relevant to helping special children in mainstream, the method also enhances the personal and social education of the peer group. (A4-stapled).

All of the above documents can be obtained from:

Information Service Elizabeth Newson Centre 272 Longdale Lane Ravenshead Nottingham NG15 9AH Tel: 01623 490879 Fax: 01623 794746 E-mail: diagnostic-centre@sutherlandhouse.org.uk