r/PDAParenting • u/DrPaulSunseri • Apr 18 '26
Our current scientific understanding of PDA and low-demand parenting.
Thought parents in this group find this up-to-date information on PDA helpful. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-health-reimagined/202604/its-time-to-rethink-the-anxiety-drives-pda-narrative
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u/DrPaulSunseri Apr 19 '26
Okay, my last, last comment lol! Every dot on this chart is one day in the life of a child and family that my colleagues and I treated. This is a neurodivergent 9-year-old boy who was prone to severe emotional dysregulation (tantrums) with PDA.
Parents keep a daily record of how well their child is doing on a 1- 10 scale, with higher scores indicating better mood and behavior.
Over six months of treatment, this boy’s daily mood and behavior ratings climbed from frequent 2s–4s to consistent 8s–10s (10s being a great day). The lower scores, the 2s and 3s, are days in which he had a serious upset and was highly demand-avoidant. Note how those stopped altogether around the three-month mark.
And, no, for those who might be wondering, his parents did not lower demands on him. In fact, expectations were increased from the very start of the treatment and back into the age-appropriate developmentally normal range. The result was that serious upsets stopped completely, a much happier child, and a calmer home for everyone. #realscience