The last day of operation for Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB was 31 March 2026. The information on this website has not been updated since 31 March 2026. The legacy policies, prescribing recommendations and pathways can be accessed on this website. Find out more

RAG rating
n/a
Document type
Clinical policy
Place
Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB
Output type
Clinical Policies & Evidence-based Interventions
Document
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Pathological Demand Avoidance

July 2022 v1.0

Assessment for Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is not routinely funded.

Rationale

  • PDA is not a recognised condition on ICD-10 or DSM-5 and neither of our providers, Virgin Care who deliver the Child Development Centre (CDC) or Northeast London Foundation Trust who deliver Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health service (EWMHs), recognise this as a condition or provide assessments, recommendations or specialist treatment.
  • There is no validated tool for identifying cases.
  • It has been a concept within autism since 1980s and yet there is no consensus, it remains controversial.
  • There is no clinical consensus of whether PDA is a behaviour profile within the autism spectrum or aligned to an attachment disorder.

References

https://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/pda.aspx 

Article linked from the Lorna Wing website discussing the diagnosis of the condition.

O’Nions, E., Gould, J., Christie, P. et al. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry (2016) 25: 407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-015-0740-2

http://www.aettraininghubs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/5.2-strategies-for-teaching-pupils-with-PDA.pdf 



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