Being Julia
Julia Daunt shares her experience with Autism and Pathological Demand Avoidance. Co-written with PDA guru, Ruth Fidler, Julia shares her first-hand experiences with as an Autistic, PDA-er. She shares quotes from teachers, administrators, and other helpers from her childhood, as well as her mom who documented the struggles she faced as a kid. This HONEST account sheds light on some of the confusion surrounding PDA behaviors.
For adult PDA-ers, this book provides endless validation, personal accounts, and humor infused in some very serious subjects. I would highly recommend this book for parents of PDA-ers who need help parenting with empathy in the face of challenging behaviors.
“Meanwhile, I thought I was invincible. I thought I was above the usual rules that applied to other people. And to be honest, I had begun to gather some evidence, which to my mind, seemed to back my theory up.”
“Although I can remember some of the meltdowns, it is really hard to remember what caused them. I presume they were triggered by being asked to do something I didn’t think was reasonable or didn’t want to do. It’s interesting that although I can remember something of what happened during a meltdown, it’s really hard to remember what caused them.”
“Still now, there are times when I struggle to remember what has caused a meltdown and what the details of a situation actually were. It’s a bit like when you have had an argument with someone, and although you’ve moved on, to a certain degree you harbour a feeling of irritation with them, even after you have let the disagreement go.”
