About
53
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264
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
Richard Woods the leading autistic expert on Pathological Demand Avoidance and a PhD student at London South Bank University. Reviewer for Advances in Autism, and Autism in Adulthood. He is involved with the Participatory Autism Research Collective, delivered training on PDA to postgraduate level, and spoken internationally on the topic.
Publications
Publications (53)
Singer et al. (2022) argue that the current lexical shift within autism research towards more neutral terminology hinders accurate scientific description of the wide range of autistic experiences, particularly within clinical and medical contexts. In this Letter to the Editor, we present an examination and criticism of these claims. This letter is...
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a proposed mental disorder, which is simultaneously gaining substantial controversy and support. There is no consensus over how to conceptualise and diagnose PDA. Nonetheless, PDA is frequently aggressively lobbied about and researched as a form of autism. By accepting that all mental disorders are inherently...
Demand-Avoidance Phenomena (DAP, sometimes called “Pathological Demand-Avoidance”) is a proposed mental Disorder. DAP is a culturally bound concept in the United Kingdom, as a “Profile of ASD”, despite it seemingly being better described as a Neurodevelopmental Disorder. We proposed a hypothetical replication of the research described in Eaton & We...
Is a short essay discussing the present situation surrounding the proposed mental Disorder "Pathological"/ "Extreme" Demand-Avoidance (PDA) in the United Kingdom. Initially, discussing the conflicting and generally poor quality evidence for PDA and moving on to key ethical considerations. We conclude that there is an urgent need for following typic...
These are the slides for a video discussing the public information for Frontiers in Education special issue on PDA. Specifically, the video goes into more depth about certain points in the below text, by drawing upon examples from the PDA literature.
This text is taken from public information about the Frontiers in Education special issue on PDA,...
Over the last decade or so, Pathological Demand-Avoidance (PDA) is often viewed as a “Profile of ASD” in the United Kingdom (UK). Despite over 20 years of substantial debate contesting the nature of PDA, and it lacking any robust evidence to suggest what PDA might be. This begs the question, why is PDA a “culture-bound concept” in the UK? Recognisi...
This is a short talk introducing the topic of autism and mental health. Covering how autistic persons spikey profile often includes co-occurring difficulties, which are frequently caused by how poor practice by broader society towards autistic persons. Suggesting suitable approaches working with autistic persons, including viewing them as being ful...
Demand-Avoidance Phenomena (DAP, sometimes called “Pathological Demand Avoidance”) is a proposed mental Disorder. Currently, in the United Kingdom (UK) it is mainly viewed as a “Profile of ASD” to extent it is a “culture-bound concept”. Yet, there is little consideration if this should be the case, and more pertinently, why “DAP Profile of ASD” is...
Presently, in the United Kingdom, Demand-Avoidance Phenomena (DAP, sometimes called “Pathological Demand Avoidance”) is simultaneously gaining significant interest and controversy. Its leading proponents assert that DAP is one of the autism spectrum disorders, despite the lack of consensus and evidence to indicate what it is, and how to view DAP. C...
This commentary – provided by a group of Autistic researchers – reflects on a case study trialling a ‘modified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy intervention’ to address the ‘noise hypersensitivity’ and associated behaviours of an Autistic teenager, ‘Aaron’. We identify serious flaws in the evidence base behind the ‘therapy’: including failing to accou...
This commentary – provided by a group of Autistic researchers – reflects on a case study trialling a ‘modified Cognitive Behavioural Therapy intervention’ to address the ‘noise hypersensitivity’ and associated behaviours of an Autistic teenager, ‘Aaron’. We identify serious flaws in the evidence base behind the ‘therapy’: including failing to accou...
Presently in the United Kingdom (UK), the proposed Disorder, Demand-Avoidance Phenomena (DAP, sometimes called “Pathological”/ “Extreme” Demand Avoidance), is a “culture-bound concept”. DAP is mainly characterised as a high anxiety causing a person to display frequent avoidance of “ordinary” (non-autistic) demands, with the dominant outlook being i...
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a proposed Disorder, which is sometimes viewed to be an autism spectrum disorder. Is characterised by persistence avoidance of ordinary demands by non-autistic society, with persons frequently displaying social avoidance behaviours which can be considered "manipulative" or "strategic". Presently, there is much...
This is a commentary on the recent Demand-Avoidance Phenomena (DAP, sometimes called Pathological Demand Avoidance) by Kildahl et al (2021). I am supportive of the observations on the rigour of the limited evidence base for DAP; that at present no firm conclusions can be made upon what features are associated with it, and it is premature to definit...
These are slides of my 15 minute talk on why PDA can be viewed as a discrete Disorder at a lower diagnostic threshold. During the talk, I did not have time to fully describe or comment on all slides to as much detail as I like. I can answer any questions about particular slides.
This is a short 500 word opinion piece for SEN Magazine. I discuss how non-autistic children and young persons (CYP) with PDA have the same rights to diagnoses, research and support as autistic CYP with PDA. I briefly outline how PDA can be viewed to be more common that some would argue, and some of the case that PDA is present in some non-autistic...
Abstract.
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a proposed Mental Disorder, from Elizabeth Newson, in the United Kingdom. While excluded from the two main diagnostic manuals, PDA has garnered much interest and controversy. While originally viewed as a new type of syndrome, a Pervasive Developmental Coding Disorder. Presently there is much focus on...
A few years ago there was a short exchange regarding the nature of the proposed disorder Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). Clinically, PDA superficially appears similar to autism, due its having surface sociability and several anxiety-based restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests (RRBIs), which centre on obsessive demand avoidance. Pe...
My article "Demand avoidance phenomena: circularity, integrity and validity – a commentary on the 2018 National Autistic Society PDA Conference." article has a response published by Dr Judy Eaton, called "A Response to Wood’s paper – Demand Avoidance Phenomena: circularity, integrity and validity – a commentary on the 2018 National Autistic Society...
This is the blank template I used to complete the analysis. I have uploaded it to ease replication of this study.
This the blank document I used to complete the content analysis, please feel free to use it to replicate the study.
This is the blank file I used for the content analysis of the EDA-Q. Please use it to replicate the study.
This is the blank file I used to complete the content analysis of the 11 validated PDA items in the DISCO. Please use it to replicate the study.
This is an introductory chapter on what Critical Autism Studies is.
Demand Avoidance Phenomena (DAP) is a neutral term for Pathological Demand Avoidance, which is sometimes conceptualised as an autism subtype. There is much ongoing controversy around the construct. In this commentary, I attempt to contextualise the recent article, Intolerance of Uncertainty and anxiety (Stuart et al., 2019) within wider discourses....
This is an updated presentation I gave to the Disability Research Forum at Sheffield Hallam University on 12th of December 2019. I have had this peer reviewed, but it was rejected mainly due to my writing style in the piece. I am planning on adapting it into a book chapter. This is a simple document analysis to conduct, please do replicate if you h...
This conference talk covers the following points:
Significant disagreement over what Demand Avoidance Phenomena (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is.
Judy Eaton’s DAP Database has significant limitations.
DAP strategies are good practice and overlap many approaches.
Substantial overlap between attachment/ trauma/ Looked After Children based literatur...
There is no abstract to this. I will note I insisted on using person first language to avoid antagnoising JADAD reviewers or editors. I used Pathological Demand Avoidance instead of Demand Avoidance Phenomena to ensure the article would appear in searches for PDA, while lowering word count.
This article explores key reasons for justifying the proto impairment of Demand Avoidance Phenomena (DAP), by investigating the integrity and validity of the construct. DAP is aggressively pushed by non-autistic stakeholders as an autism subtype, to date the circularity around DAP’s construction and operation has received little attention. We decon...
This talk is adapted version of this talk:
"An Updated Interest Based Account (Monotropism theory) & a Demand Avoidance Phenomenon discussion."
Available at the link below:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332727790_An_Updated_Interest_Based_Account_Monotropism_theory_a_Demand_Avoidance_Phenomenon_discussion
I expanded the monotropism sect...
This is a book review of the "Collaborative Approaches to Learning for Pupils with PDA: Strategies for Education Professionals” by Ruth Fidler and Phil Christie (2018). The book review has not been peer reviewed. The book review is published open access at Autism Policy and Practice, the original can be located here:
https://www.openaccessautism.or...
This is a book review of the "Autism: a new introduction to psychological theory
and current debate" authored by Sue Fletcher-Watson and Francesca Happ�e, (2019). The book review has not been peer reviewed. Free to view versions of the article are available through this link:
https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2019.1636564
This is a letter to the editor (Larry Arnold) at Autonomy, the Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies. It respond's to a well known article by Damian Milton, I and Mitzi Waltz set out the case for the strength of autistic perspectives and how they can be included in autism research. The author's thank Dinah Murray for her comments dur...
This is my letter to the editor (Larry Arnold) at Autonomy, the Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies. The article explores critique of the Autism Education Trust's Pathological Demand Avoidance resources, by contextualising them in inclusive education discourses. The article is open access can be accessed via the link below:
http://...
This is a book review of the "Me and my PDA: A Guide to Pathological Demand Avoidance for Young People" written by Durà-Vilà and Levi (2018). The book review has not been peer reviewed. Free to view versions of the article are available through the link here:
https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/bild/gap/2019/00000020/00000001/art00013
This is a book review of the "The PDA paradox: the highs
and lows of my life on a little-known part of the autism spectrum" edited by Judy Eaton (2017). The book review has not been peer reviewed. Free to view versions of the article are available through the link here:
https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/bild/gap/2019/00000020/00000001/art00...
We present a balanced ethical position for Demand Avoidance Phenomena (Pathological Demand Avoidance). We argue that it should be viewed as undefined comorbid external to the autism spectrum. DAP needs robust to inform decisions around ontology, nosology and aetiology, to feed into policy and practice. Situating the construct in participatory schol...
A growing interest around Pathological Demand
Avoidance (PDA) has been reflected in letters to this
magazine, discussing possible explanations for PDA,
specifically as a form of autism or attachment disorder.
Nonetheless, the main PDA discourse portrays it as a
distinct syndrome that is part of the autism spectrum.
Yet PDA is not in the diagnostic...
This talk explores recent literature on monotropism theory to explain Demand Avoidance Phenomenon (DAP). Previous DAP theory focuses on role of anxiety in producing a need for control that is suggested leads to demand avoidance. However, we provide an alternative view by situating in critical DAP scholarship, highlighting the uncertainty around the...
This is a book review of the "A guide to mental health issues in girls and young women on the autism spectrum: diagnosis, intervention and family support" written by Judy Eaton (2017). The book review has not been peer reviewed. Free to view versions of the article are available through the link here: http://docserver.ingentaconnect.com/deliver/con...
Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC) held an external stream to the Scottish Autism conference recently held in Glasgow on the 08/11/2018 and 09/11/2018. As part of that stream, the entirety of the 09/11/2018 morning was on an Interest Based Account on Autism, more commonly known as Monotropism. I was invited to do a talk on how this the...
This is a book review of the "PDA by PDAers, from anxiety to avoidance and masking to meltdowns" edited by Sally Cat (2018). The book review has not been peer reviewed. Free to view versions of the article are available through the DOI.
This is a short definition entry on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). It is covers all extant names of PDA, its diagnostic criteria and how its behaviour profile differs from established subtypes. Additionally, the chapter covers PDA's contested nature by providing all its present ontologies that are in print. Finally. the entry discusses the PD...
This is a presentation I delivered at Participatory Autism Research Collective Critical Autism Studies Conference 2018. It builds on the work of Damian Milton (2013) exploring how Rational Demand Avoidance can be explained as a biopower, available at the link below:
https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62694/
While reflecting on this I realised that the similar...
This is a power point of the talk I delivered at the Participatory Autism Research Collective event, Critical Perspectives on Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). During the event 3 autistic persons who while meeting the PDA profile, all do not identify with it. The event
discussed critical views on Rational (Pathological/ Extreme) Demand Avoidance...
This article explores the definition of Critical Autism Studies and its inclusion in autistic scholarship. There has been critique of recent non-autistic literature for lacking autistic authorship, leading to doubts about its epistemological integrity due to misrepresentations of autistic culture and the neurodiversity movement. This article utilis...
I provide critical reflections on the PDA discourse using PDA blog and discussion of The Practice MK, a private practice specialising in autism. Their blog and discussion covers the current PDA debate, such as if the label can be diagnosed, benefits of its adjustments and how the label does not guarantee access to support or financial support. I ar...
This is the author's copy of the latest draft I have before being accepted. It may differ slightly in places to the published version.
Levitt argues that the social model of disability needs to be re-invigorated, potentially by adapting the tool for separate countries. The social model has been successfully applied for some disabled groups in the...
I have added the author's accepted manuscript, it will differ in places from the published article.
Hacking suggests autism is a human kind, and has used autism to discuss their evolution over time. Looping effects caused the autism human kind to evolve since 1995, with people identifying with the autism human kind, and the commodification of the...
This is a magazine piece, around 1400 words, I wrote 5 years that was published in Asperger United (now called The Spectrum). The piece had a few responses in the following edition of the magazine.
Projects
Projects (3)
Demand Avoidance Phenomena (DAP), is another name for the proposed mental Disorder, "Pathological"/ "Extreme" Demand Avoidance).
1) To investigate potential cultural impact of the outlook “DAP Profile of ASD” has upon DAP literature and the public.
2) To investigate if DAP can be conceptualised as a Disorder at the threshold of the Extreme Demand Avoidance-Questionnaire (EDA-Q) (O’Nions, 2013).
Brief description of the project's rationale for the project is found below:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353348556_Demand_Avoidance_Phenomena_Pathological_Extreme_Demand_Avoidance_is_it_a_Disorder_at_a_lower_diagnostic_threshold
We aim to demonstrate that Monotropism provides a more complete explanation of autism than any other theory. We are also looking broadly at the role of interests in human cognition, and relations between autism and other differences, like ADHD.
