Autistic Advocacy: Unpacking PDA With Richard Woods

What PDA really is – Understanding the intense need for autonomy, how it manifests, and why it’s different from intentional defiance.

Beyond childhood – How PDA presents in adults and why it often goes unrecognized.

PDA vs. ODD – Why the two are frequently confused, and how a need for autonomy—not opposition—drives the behavior.

Theory of Mind and labels – The problems with pathologizing demand avoidance and how labels affect self-advocacy.

Lived experience – Why PDA traits don’t “fade” with age but instead evolve into self-accommodation and clearer boundaries.

Post-autistic identity – Richard’s perspective on moving beyond psychiatric categories.

The sensory and systemic challenge – How an inaccessible, chaotic world exacerbates PDA traits.