Parental Blame and PDA

About this episode

The episode discusses parental blame in the context of PDA, exploring its emotional impact and the need for a compassionate understanding of children's experiences.

In this episode, Rachel from the PDA Society is joined by Alice Running, an author and writer focusing on autistic lived experience and neurodivergent parenting, to explore the issue of parental blame in the context of PDA. Alice shares both personal and research-informed insight into how parental blame can arise when children struggle within systems that do not fully understand PDA. The conversation explores how behaviours linked to anxiety, demand sensitivity and distress are often misinterpreted, leading to assumptions about parenting rather than recognition of underlying needs. Rachel and Alice discuss the emotional impact this can have on families, including feelings of shame, isolation and self-doubt. Alice reflects on how blame can become embedded within systems such as education and services, particularly when professionals focus on behaviour rather than context. Part 1 focuses on understanding what parental blame is, why it occurs, and how it can affect both parents and children. The discussion highlights the importance of shifting towards a more compassionate, informed approach that recognises the child's experience and the parent's efforts to support them. Key Themes *…

People in this episode

Host: Rachel

Guest: Alice Running

Topics covered

• parental blame
• PDA
• neurodivergent parenting
• anxiety
• demand sensitivity
• emotional impact
• compassionate approach

Keywords

• parental blame
• PDA
• anxiety
• demand sensitivity
• neurodivergent parenting
• emotional impact
• shame
• isolation
• self-doubt
• understanding

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PDA Society

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