A PDA child is a child who displays characteristics of pathological demand avoidance (PDA), which is a proposed disorder and sub-type of autism spectrum disorder. Children with PDA display a resistance to everyday demands that goes beyond typical behavior, until it interferes with their everyday lives, and their resistance is obsessive and extreme. They may resist demands obsessively, be socially manipulative, show normal eye contact, and show excessive mood swings. They may find it difficult to find their place within the social hierarchy and can insist that they be treated as adults, disregarding parents’ role as authority figures. They often understand rules but don’t feel that they apply to themselves. Tasks that a young child has the skills to do may be things a child with PDA might only do when they’re personally motivated to do them. Children with PDA feel threatened when they are not in control of their environment and their actions, which triggers the fight, flight or freeze response.