Pathological Demand Avoidance: Born Outside the System

Please join us for “Pathological Demand Avoidance: Born Outside the System” with Sandra McConnell. 

Sandra McConnell, who is sometimes known as the PDA Mama Bear, is an instructor, speaker, blogger, and parent coach. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology, and two graduate certificates in neurodiversity and learning differences. And her 13-year-old son is Pathologically Demand Avoidant, or PDA, an unofficial autism profile characterized by an intense and persistent anxiety-driven need to resist demands. It just so happens, Sandra is PDA, too, diagnosed in early 2024. While parenting her son and navigating the school system were certainly a challenge, they’ve had relative success, and she attributes the edge to her insider’s perspective – one she described as perpetually on the outside looking in.