- #124 Kinder & Familie
- #124beste Platzierung
- wöchentlichErscheinungsrhythmus
- 51 mintypische Länge
- vor 4 Tagenletzte Folge
The At Peace Parents Podcast is your source for all things related to understanding, supporting, accommodating, and advocating for your demand avoidant or PDA child. It will completely transform the way you think about your PDA child's brain, behavior, and parenting, and support you in finding your path to more peace and stability in the home. For more information see www.atpeaceparents.com
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The Neuroscience Behind Pathological Demand Avoidance With Dr. Amy Arnsten | Ep. 186
What is actually happening in the brain and nervous system of a PDA child when they are in a threat state? In this episode I sit down with Dr. Amy Arnsten, a neuroscientist at Yale, to get the most scientifically grounded answer I have ever
Five Tips For a Lower Demand Halloween With Your Pathologically Demand Avoidant Child | Ep. 185
Halloween is exciting. It is also activating. And if your child is in burnout, near their threshold, or simply wired in a way that makes novelty and sensory overload feel threatening rather than fun, even a holiday you love can become a sou
The Theory of Change Behind PDA Accommodations: Why Lowering Demands Is Not Enough | Ep. 184
Why do accommodations like lowering demands, providing autonomy, and using declarative language actually work for PDA children and teens over the long term? And why do so many parents, therapists, and teachers get stuck applying them even w
PDA and School: Patterns, Advocacy, and Accommodations With Dr. Alex Klein | Ep. 183
It is back to school season here in the US, and for most families raising PDA children and teens, that means navigating one of the most structurally activating environments their child will ever encounter. I am back with Dr. Alex Klein, cli
To School or Not to School: A Decision Making Framework for Parents of PDA Children and Teens | Ep. 182
Should my PDA child stay in the public school system, move to a private school, or homeschool? There is no single answer, and this episode is not going to give you one. What it is going to give you is a framework for making the decision tha
Screens Are Not So Scary, Reducing Autonomy Is: Restoring Childhood With Dr. Peter Gray | Ep. 181
Why are so many children and teens struggling with anxiety, depression, and school refusal right now? And why are so many of them PDA? I have been carrying these questions for years, and Dr. Peter Gray's new book Restoring Childhood gave me
Education and PDA at a Sudbury School: A Conversation With Bryer Newlin | Ep. 180
What if a school had no mandatory classes, no grades, no homework, and no age segregation, and instead gave students a genuine vote in how the school runs? That is the Sudbury Democratic model, and it offers some real benefits for PDA child
Throwback: 5 Ways to Recognize Pathological Demand Avoidance at School | Ep. 179
This episode is a throwback to one of the most popular episodes in the history of this podcast, originally recorded as a live presentation I gave in 2022 at the Miami Sudbury Democratic School. I am releasing it again during September, a mo
Educational Exclusion, Radical Trust, and What PDA-Affirming Schooling Looks Like: Otto Specht School | Ep. 178
What does it look like when a school actually meets a PDA child where they are, without behavior charts, compliance goals, or pressure to perform? In this episode I speak with three remarkable people: Melissa Petro, a cultural journalist an
One Year Later: Justin's Story of Progress With His PDA Son | Ep. 177
What does a year of applying the PDA lens actually look like in a real family? Justin joined the Paradigm Shift Program in the summer of 2025 and is back a year later to share what shifted, what is still hard, and what he has learned along
Basic Needs and Pathological Demand Avoidance: Toileting, Sleep, Hygiene, Eating, and Safety | Ep. 176
When I first started learning about PDA six years ago, so much of what I encountered was focused on behavior. What I was not seeing discussed was something I kept observing in my own family, and have since seen in thousands of families I ha
Throwback: Is Pathological Demand Avoidance the Same as Autism, ADHD, or Anxiety? | Ep. 175
There is a lot of noise in the PDA space right now, and some of it is making parents doubt themselves and feel more confused rather than less. So I am re-airing this episode from May 2025 because I think it will help you feel more confident
Why You're Walking On Eggshells: Cumulative Nervous System Activation And Your PDA Child Or Teen | Ep. 174
Seven years ago I created a huge spreadsheet trying to find the cause of my son's meltdowns. How many hours outside, how many minutes on screens, how many calories eaten, and much much more. But I couldn't find a consistent pattern. Somethi
Finding Meaning as a Parent of a Pathological Demand Avoidance Child or Teen | Ep. 173
When autonomy is low, meaning has to be high. That is what I learned during the two years I spent as a full-time caregiver for my older son, isolated in our home, and putting myself physically between him and his eighteen-month-old brother
Shame, Power, and Pathological Demand Avoidance in Children and Teens with Dr. Gillian Boudreau | Ep. 172
What does shame have to do with PDA? And why do behavioral approaches fail so consistently for this neurotype even when implemented well? I speak with Dr. Gillian Boudreau, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in autism, ADHD, and
Why Lowering Demands May Not Be Enough For Your PDA Child | Ep. 171
If you've lowered demands for your PDA child or teen but still aren't seeing much progress, this episode is for you. It explains one of the most common sticking points I hear from families: that due to the name - Pathological Demand Avoidan
Using the PDA Lens to Change Your Parenting With Pathological Demand Avoidance | Ep. 170
This episode is an excerpt from a lesson inside the Paradigm Shift Program. I'm sharing it because the PDA lens is the foundation that all other skills in my work rest on, and it is not something most parents are going to hear explained any
Addictive Behaviors and the Nervous System in PDA: A Conversation With Jan Winhall | Ep. 169
When I first heard Jan Winhall speak about the intersection of the nervous system and addiction, I immediately thought of the PDA teens and adults in our community who are reaching for substances or engaging in self-harm. In this episode sh
Understanding the Root Cause of Pathological Demand Avoidance and Equalizing Behavior | Ep. 168
In this episode I share the definition of PDA I use: PDA is a survival drive for autonomy and equality that consistently overrides other survival instincts, including eating, sleeping, toileting, hygiene, and safety. I explain how this is d
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Advocacy for Pathological Demand Avoidance with Dr. Destiny Huff | Ep. 167
If you are a parent who cannot unschool or homeschool your PDA child, or who needs practical support navigating the school system, this episode is for you. I am joined by Dr. Destiny Huff, a licensed professional counselor, non-attorney spe
Four Ways To Create Calm With Your Pathologically Demand Avoidant Child | Ep. 166
When he was young, it seemed like my son Cooper was almost always active and agitated. I tried everything I was told to try - bubble blowing for deep breathing, emotion naming, zones of regulation, nature walks with candy as incentives - bu
A PDA Neuropsychologist on How Pathologically Demand Avoidant Brains Actually Work | Ep. 165
I sit down with Dr. Jennifer Huffman, a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist, PDA woman with lived experience, and creator of the Neurodynamic Navigator System and the Neurodynamic Quotient. After twenty-five years working with child
How A Dad Changed His Parenting To Stop Fighting His Child With Pathological Demand Avoidance: An Interview With My Husband | Ep. 164
This episode is an interview with my husband, Jake, about his path from well-founded skepticism of Pathological Demand Avoidance to fully changing his parenting to support our two PDA sons, and how that has helped all three of them. This co
Giftedness, Pathological Demand Avoidance and Burnout in Adults: My Story | Ep. 163
In this episode I talk about how I understand my autistic brain, my internalized pathological demand avoidance, and why it took me six years of working in this space before I felt certain enough to say this publicly. I also walk through my
A Speech Language Pathologist on Selective Mutism, Pathological Demand Avoidance and So Much More | Ep. 162
I speak with Stephanie Harrigan, a certified speech language pathologist with nearly fifteen years of experience working with the neurodiverse population, to talk about selective mutism, feeding therapy and more. Stephanie brings a regulati
What Occupational Therapists Need to Know: Restrictive Eating and Pathological Demand Avoidance Part 4 | Ep. 161
This is the fourth episode in my series on PDA and restrictive eating, and this one is for therapists. If you are an occupational therapist, a speech language pathologist, or another type of therapist working with a child who isn't respondi
Practical Autonomy-Based Tools for Families Stuck in Food Struggles - Restrictive Eating and Pathological Demand Avoidance Part 3| Ep. 160
If you've heard me talk about autonomy, equality, and lowering demands before and thought, "But what does that actually look like at the dinner table?" — this episode is for you. This is the third episode in my series on eating and PDA, and
10 Misconceptions About Eating And Pathological Demand Avoidance Part 2 l Ep. 159
In this episode — Part 2 of our series on eating and PDA — I walk through the 10 misconceptions about eating that I personally had to unlearn in order to help my son. These are beliefs that are completely reasonable for most children and ev
My Son Only Ate Three Foods - Eating and Pathological Demand Avoidance Part 1 | Ep. 158
If your child has dropped food after food, won't try new things no matter what you do, and every mealtime feels like a battle — this episode is the first in a four-part series where I get personal. I'm sharing the story of my oldest son Coo
Getting Husband and Parents On Board with Pathological Demand Avoidance | Ep. 157
In this episode, I coach Danielle, a mom from North Idaho who is newer to the PDA lens and has already been making progress with her almost nine-year-old son — but is running into resistance from her husband and her parents, who help with c
