PDA Research

Research on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is still emerging. While many individuals, families, and clinicians recognize a distinct profile marked by an extreme avoidance to everyday demands, the formal research base is still developing across areas like diagnostic recognition, prevalence, assessment tools, and best-practice supports.

What we do have is a growing body of clinical literature, lived experience data, and early academic work that is helping shape better understanding and more compassionate, effective approaches. We’re committed to sharing what’s known, naming what’s still uncertain, and advocating for the research and systems change PDAers deserve.

If you are interested in collaborating with PDA North America on future research and surveys, please contact melissa@pdanorthamerica.org

The PDA Experience Report

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we are dedicated to deepening understanding of PDA and sharing practical strategies that foster meaningful support and accommodations. We felt it was critical to capture the lived experience of PDA in North America, which is why in 2025 we created the PDA Experience Report – the first large-scale survey of PDA lived experience in this region.

With this report, we hope to turn growing interest into useful guidance:

helping families advocate effectively
helping schools plan appropriate accommodations,
giving clinicians a shared, evidence-informed starting point

The field’s momentum, in combination with the significant needs in this space, make this a critical moment to summarize what we know and prioritize what still needs to be learned.

The full report, including methodology, demographic details, complete data, and additional analysis is available at the link below.

The Key Findings report offers a snapshot of what we learned and can be downloaded at the link below.

PDA Research Outside of PDA North America

Download the comprehensive review of the current research on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), written by Kaligirwa Namahoro. Spanning 44 pages, this resource helps make sense of a complex and evolving body of work—highlighting key themes, gaps, and emerging insights in a way that’s accessible to our community.

Whether you’re a parent, professional, or PDAer yourself, this review offers a valuable snapshot of where the research stands today and where it may be headed next.

Below is a selection of some of the currently publicly available research on PDA and extreme demand avoidance. Please email Melissa@pdanorthamerica.org if there is available research not listed here that you would like us to be aware of.

(click titles to read)

What are the experiences and support needs of families of autistic children with Extreme (or ‘Pathological’) Demand Avoidance (E/PDA) behaviours? (2025)

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA): exploring the behavioural profile (2014)Identifying features of ‘pathological demand avoidance’ using the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) (2016)

Extreme Demand Avoidance in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Refinement of a Caregiver-Report Measure (2021)

Dimensions of difficulty in children reported to have an autism spectrum diagnosis and features of extreme/‘pathological’ demand avoidance (2018)

Practicing psychologists’ accounts of demand avoidance and extreme demand avoidance in children and adolescents (2023)

Methods of studying pathological demand avoidance in children and adolescents: a scoping review (2024)

A phenomenological exploration of the lived experience of adults experiencing pathological demand avoidance (2024)

The Measurement of Adult Pathological Demand Avoidance Traits (2019)

Extreme Demand Avoidance in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Refinement of a Caregiver-Report Measure (2021)

Identifying features of ‘pathological demand avoidance’ using the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) (2016)

Methods of studying pathological demand avoidance in children and adolescents: a scoping review (2024)

Theses / dissertations

Emotion Regulation and Executive Function in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Pathological Demand Avoidance Traits (Doctoral thesis, UCL)

Individual differences, autism spectrum disorder, pathological demand avoidance; impulsivity, emotional stability and delinquency (MSc thesis, University of Nottingham)

Extreme Demand Avoidance in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder… (UCL repository version)