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Persistent Drive for Autonomy
Understanding PDA through the nervous system
PDA is not manipulation, defiance, or “attention seeking.”
It is a nervous system survival response to pressure, overwhelm and loss of autonomy.
PDA is understood here through a nervous system lens.
Many PDA nervous systems experience demands, pressure, uncertainty, sensory overwhelm, expectations, and loss of autonomy as genuine threats to safety.
What may look like avoidance, refusal, control, shutdown, aggression, or “challenging behaviour” is often a nervous system trying to protect itself from overwhelm.
You might start to wonder about pda if…
You may begin to wonder about PDA if someone experiences:
avoidance of everyday demands
refusal or difficulty accessing tasks
aggression during overwhelm
shutdown, withdrawal, or burnout
significant distress around pressure or expectations
strong autonomy needs
masking at school or in social settings
large fluctuations in capacity from one moment or day to the next
negotiation, humour, distraction, or procrastination around demands
While words such as “avoidance,” “refusal,” or “aggression” are often used when people first begin describing these experiences, I personally do not view these as neuroaffirmative ways of understanding PDA nervous systems. Instead, I understand these experiences through a nervous system lens — as survival responses linked to overwhelm, threat, safety, and reduced access.
At the same time, I recognise that these may be the words families, educators, or professionals initially use when trying to make sense of what they are seeing.
My Approach
My work combines lived experience as an AuDHD (Autistic & ADHD) PDA’er with occupational therapy practice, sensory processing knowledge and nervous system education.
I do not approach PDA through behaviour management or compliance-based frameworks. My focus is on helping families and educators understand what is happening underneath distress so support can begin long before crisis.
A podcast interview
On the At Peace Parents podcast, Sorcha Rice shares her lived experience as an AuDHD PDA’er alongside her work as a Senior Occupational Therapist. The episode explores PDA through a nervous system lens, discussing burnout, masking, autonomy, sensory regulation, and why traditional compliance-based approaches can increase distress for PDA nervous systems.
Sorcha reflects on her own childhood and school experiences before diagnosis, the impact of burnout and recovery, and how these experiences now shape her occupational therapy practice. The conversation also explores practical ways to support PDA children through safety, co-regulation, reduced pressure, autonomy, sensory support, and understanding what is happening underneath behaviour rather than focusing on compliance.
Recommended book
I would highly recommend the book When the Naughty Step Makes Things Worse by Dr Naomi Fisher and Eliza Fricker for parents, educators, and professionals wanting to better understand pressure-sensitive nervous systems and PDA experiences.
The book explores why traditional reward-and-consequence approaches can unintentionally increase distress for some children and instead offers a more compassionate, low-demand, nervous-system-informed approach centred around safety, connection, autonomy, and reducing overwhelm. It is practical, validating, and deeply understanding of families who feel that “typical” parenting approaches are making things harder rather than helping.
