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Rabbi Shoshana's Blog
Nov 23, 20246 min read
6 steps to make doctor appointments more accessible to PDA kids & teens
by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman How can we drop demands & offer autonomy, control, and social equality in a medical setting? How can we...
Nov 18, 20244 min read
4 Lessons from PDA Autism that help me stay grounded in these divided times
by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman #1: Grandiosity is a thing and I can let it go. Before I knew I was Autistic, I felt personally...
Oct 8, 20245 min read
Is therapy helpful for PDA kids & teens?
Is therapy helpful for PDA kids and teens? This post answers the question through an approach called The PDA Safe Circle.
Aug 20, 20244 min read
6 Things I Wish I Knew When My PDA Autistic Son Started Preschool - Early Childhood & PDA Autism
6 Things I Wish I Knew When My PDA Autistic son Started Preschool
Jul 25, 202411 min read
What medications help PDAers & what if taking meds is outside the person's safe circle?
‼️ I am not a doctor & this is not medical advice. ALWAYS talk to YOUR doctor before stopping or starting any medication. I am speaking...
Jul 20, 20246 min read
How Western culture contributes to the PDA threat response
The PDA threat response may not be so disabling in other cultures.
Jul 14, 20244 min read
What are common strengths of Autistic PDAers?
What are common strengths of Autistic PDAers, and how does cultural context help us answer this question?
Jun 19, 20244 min read
Separation Anxiety: 6 steps parents can take to support PDA children
6 steps parents can take to support PDA children with separation anxiety
May 18, 20249 min read
How unlimited screen time works in our home & how I recommend parents approach screens with PDA kids & teens
How unlimited screentime works in our home and how I recommend PDA parents approach screen usage for their kids.
Apr 3, 20245 min read
Can PDA Kids Love School? Yes - I did. But the conditions were particular.
My child and I are both Autistic and PDA. PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance, or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy. Understanding of...
Mar 24, 20249 min read
6 Areas I Practice Low Demand Living
What is Low Demand? I came to the concept of Low Demand Living through Low Demand Parenting. Low Demand Parenting is the idea that we can...
Mar 14, 20246 min read
7 Powerful Mindset Shifts for Educators of PDA students
by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman PDA stands for Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy, a little-known profile of...
Feb 28, 20244 min read
Why is conventional school hard or impossible for most PDA children?
by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman To understand why school is difficult or impossible for so many PDA children & teens, we need to know...
Feb 17, 20244 min read
My Autism Self-Diagnosis Story
by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman When my son was 3, we started bringing him to a private Occupational Therapist to help with sensory...
Feb 16, 20242 min read
Internalized v Externalized PDA
by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman That's funny... you don't look PDA! My son & I are both Autistic with a PDA profile. PDA =Pervasive...
Feb 16, 20245 min read
How do internalized PDA'ers assert control or "equalize"?
by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman I am what is known in the PDA community as an internalized PDAer. In this post, I explain what that...
Feb 11, 20243 min read
I think my child might be Autistic but the pediatrician says "not to worry." What should I do?
by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman As parents we look to our pediatricians to be experts in child development. But actually, most general...
Feb 3, 20245 min read
Autistic Limerence: The risks of when a person is a special interest
by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman What is Limerence? Limerence is one name for infatuation with another person. It is not a regular crush....
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