Sorry Nellie can't do a link, but in a nutshell kids with PDA avoid the demands made by others, due to their high anxiety levels they feel they are not in control. They obsessively resist ordinary requests and demands. They appear sociable on the surface but lack a depth of understanding. Have excessive mood swings, often switching mood suddenly. Very comfortable when doing role play and pretending.Some parents describe their child as a Jekyll and Hyde character. Here is a recent example of my GS's behaviour.
He's five years old by the way.
In the playground the children were asked to put away the games equipment my GS had a tennis racquet, an older child who was supervising him asked him to put it in the box, and when he didn,t the other child tried to insist. GS apparently wanted to do it in his own time so swung the racquet hitting the other boy and another little girl who was standing by. He became very upset and when others tried to comfort him he lashed out at them. These children come across as naughty and poorly parented, but their brains are wired differently to the rest of us.When he had calmed down he put the racquet away, but it was on his own terms. I don't think I've described it very well but if you google Pathalogical Demand Avoidance there are goo sites to look at. He's a lovely little boy most of the time but when I read that the "meltdowns" are a manifestation of panic attacks in young children with PDA I was in bits. Long post, sorry.
