At Peace Parents Podcast Ep. 99 - Helping Our PDA Children and Teens Build a Healthy Self Concept
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Feb 12, 2025 A mother shares her journey helping her PDA son transform from confusion to confidence. She explores how consistent accommodation can help children embrace their identity. The conversation touches on the importance of separating diagnosis from self-concept and normalizing threat responses. Practical steps include using declarative affirmations to positively frame traits and fostering a sense of belonging. The episode emphasizes empowering children to choose their identity and navigate their experiences with support.
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From Heartbreaking Question To Proud Identity
- Casey recounts her son asking, "Mama, did God make me this way on purpose?" which revealed his early confusion about his behavior and identity.
- Years of consistent accommodation helped him become confident and say, "I do this because I'm PDA," to his teacher.
Separate Diagnosis, Nervous System, Identity
- Casey highlights the need to decouple diagnosis, nervous system, and identity when supporting PDA children.
- She explains that conflating them can activate a PDA child's threat response because diagnosis often feels like a loss of autonomy.
Put Diagnoses 'On The Shelf' First
- Put diagnoses on a 'shelf' temporarily and focus first on what makes your child feel safe, seen, and part of a community.
- Treat naming the nervous-system reaction as a separate process and allow negativity around it while normalizing it as a human response.