My son has diagnosis of ‘autistic spectrum disorder’. Recently I’ve found out about PDA. Our sons extreme anxiety often leads to a presentation that matches what I see online
His explosive reactions to being asked to do anything at all- eg brush teeth - are very dramatic. He gets easily overwhelmed by emotion and then seems to have some kind of panic attack brought on by being swamped by the emotion where he disassociates and starts talking in third person and asking to go him when he is in fact at home. He’s incredibly bright and I think this is all anxiety and emotional regulation related. We’ve tried giving limited choices- eg do you want toast or cereal for breakfast - but we go through 5-10 battles daily that result in him pacing kicking screaming and recently throwing things and pushing one with his head or hands. As I said he eventually calms down but the anger turns into a weird anxious Breathless panic and then calm. I’m not sure how to avoid these blow ups, deal with them when they’re happening, or work to help him with the regulation.
These don’t seem like meltdowns to me because they are always a reaction to something he doesn’t want to do- however he doesn’t have a diagnosis of pda so I can’t be sure of the link. We as a family are at breaking point. Every weekend is ruined by his tantrums and he dominates every activity asking a thousand Qs (to manage his anxiety) a minute- and then blowing up if things go ‘wrong’ is not his way...Any advice or helpful similar stories? Thanks for reading