Affirming Books about PDA

Pathological Demand Avoidance/Persistent Drive for Autonomy is still a vastly under-researched area of study. While there aren’t many study-based tools, there are fortunately some wonderful books based on personal experiences that provide valuable insight on this topic.

Most, if not all, of these books can be found at thriftbooks.com or barnesandnoble.com

(Books with a * means I have read it myself)

*Can I Tell You About Pathological Demand Avoidance: A guide for friends, family and professionals by Ruth Fidler and Phil Christie (I list this one first because it is very short and illustrated, making it fairly easy to get through)

*Low-Demand Parenting by Amanda Diekman

The Declarative Language Handbook by Linda Murphy

*Helping Your Child with PDA Live a Happier Life by Alice Running

*The Explosive Child by Ross Greene

*Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurkinka (while not specifically about PDA, so many of the tools and mindset shifts in this book apply very well to raising a PDAer)

The Insider Guide to PDA by Sally Cat and Brook Madera

Understanding Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome in Children: a guide for parents, teachers and other professionals by Phil Christie, Margaret Duncan, Sara Healy and Ruth Fidler

Being Julia: A personal account of living with Pathological Demand Avoidance by Ruth Fidler and Julia Daunt