403: Claudia’s Parenting Journey with Pathological Demand Avoidance (Educational Therapy Series)

403: Claudia’s Parenting Journey with Pathological Demand Avoidance (Educational Therapy Series)

From Learn Smarter Podcast by Rachel Kapp and Stephanie Pitts- Educational Therapists

March 17, 2026 · 49 min

About this episode

Claudia shares her parenting journey with her daughter Emma, who has autism, ADHD, and Pathological Demand Avoidance, discussing the impact of these diagnoses on their family and the importance of prioritizing their relationship.

Rachel Kapp, M.Ed., BCET, and Stephanie Pitts, M.Ed., BCET welcome Claudia, a former parent from My Ed Therapist, to the podcast. Claudia shares her journey with her daughter, Emma, who is autistic, has ADHD, and has Pathological Demand Avoidance (or “Persistent Demand for Autonomy”). Claudia shares about the impact of these diagnoses on her relationship with Emma and the family. She shares about how Stephanie’s rapport had a tremendous impact on Emma’s ability to be more flexible. She shares about the difficult decision to transition schools and the importance sports had for Emma. They chat about the role of perfectionism, how they approached the college decision, the importance of prioritizing the relationship with your child, and examining Claudia’s role as the parent. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/learnsmarterpodcast   How to connect with us: Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website @learnsmarterpodcast , @kappedtherapy , @myedtherapist   Other episodes mentioned: Ep 309: Pathological Demand Avoidance with Diane Gould (Professionals Series)

People in this episode

Hosts: Rachel Kapp, Stephanie Pitts

Guest: Claudia

Topics covered

  • Pathological Demand Avoidance
  • Parenting
  • Autism
  • ADHD
  • Educational Therapy
  • Family Relationships
  • School Transition

Keywords

  • Pathological Demand Avoidance
  • autism
  • ADHD
  • parenting
  • educational therapy
  • school transition
  • family dynamics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: My Ed Therapist, Kapp Educational Therapy Group

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