The PDA Parenting Podcast

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Amy is joined by her daughter Maya - who shares her lived experience as a PDA autistic teen. Together, they explore the PDA experience of feeling trapped: at school, in the medical system, and inside her own mind.

From second-grade meltdowns to high school shutdowns to hospital sensory overwhelm, Maya speaks candidly about what “feeling trapped” really means for someone with a PDA profile. Amy and Maya discuss nervous system overwhelm, the importance of autonomy, why being heard matters, and how PDAers often struggle to express what’s happening internally. 

This episode is a must-listen for parents, teachers, and professionals looking to better understand and support PDA kids from the inside out.

If this episode helped you, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review—it helps other PDA parents find this podcast!

In this episode, Amy Kotha explores the powerful theme of feeling trapped - a core experience for many PDA autistic kids and a familiar reality for their parents, too. She breaks down what “trapped” looks like at different ages and shares five ways to help everyone in the family feel more free.

For PDAers, trapped doesn’t just mean physically stuck - it’s about a lack of autonomy, emotional overwhelm, and a nervous system in constant survival mode. Amy walks through how this shows up in kids, teens, and parents alike, and offers strategies to break the cycle: scaffolding with care, shifting expectations, balancing power, and watching for learned helplessness.

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review—it helps other parents find this support!

Resources/Sources Mentioned:

Amanda Diekman, Low Demand Parenting  https://www.amandadiekman.com/

In this reflective solo episode, Amy Kotha shares a deeply personal story about parenting her PDA daughter through a major life transition - and how her daughter’s struggles unexpectedly derailed her own plans.

Amy explores what happens when parenting a child with PDA autism pulls us off our own path and into their emotional storms. From delayed podcast launches to insights about co-regulation, enmeshment, and grace, this episode offers validation and practical wisdom for parents feeling stuck. You’ll learn how to stay grounded, reframe guilt, and remember that your needs matter too.

If this resonated with you, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review—it helps more PDA parents find this podcast!

In Part 2 of our introduction to Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), host Amy Kotha explores the social characteristics that make this autism profile so complex - especially masking, fluctuating social skills, and the surprising ways demand avoidance shows up in relationships.

Amy shares personal stories and expert insights to help parents recognize common PDA traits like masking at school, social burnout, resistance to hierarchy, and people-centered obsessive behaviors. Learn how PDAers can seem socially skilled yet struggle deeply with internal demands and regulation. Understanding these patterns is key to providing brain-based, empathetic support at home.

If this episode helped you, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review—it helps other PDA parents find this podcast!

In this inaugural episode of The PDA Parenting Podcast, host Amy Kotha - parent coach and mom to a teen with PDA autism - introduces the concept of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). Learn about the key characteristics of PDA, its impact on children's behavior, and why understanding this profile is crucial for effective parenting.

Amy shares her personal journey navigating the complexities of raising a child with PDA, shedding light on the challenges and breakthroughs along the way. This episode covers:

• An overview of PDA and its distinction within the autism spectrum
• The neurological underpinnings of PDA behaviors
• The "can't, not won't" phenomenon and its implications
• Strategies for fostering connection and empathy in parenting
  
  

Whether you're new to PDA or seeking deeper insights, this episode offers valuable perspectives to support your parenting journey.

If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review to help other parents discover this resource!

Resources/Sources mentioned:

PDA North America  https://pdanorthamerica.org/

PDA Society  https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/

"Elizabeth Newsome...""...an obsessional avoidance of the ordinary demands..." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4820467/