Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a proposed disorder and sub-type of autism spectrum disorder, defined by characteristics such as a greater-than-typical refusal to comply with requests or expectations and extreme resistance to everyday demands that goes dramatically beyond typical behavior, until it interferes with their everyday lives, and their resistance is obsessive and extreme. Children with PDA 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. They can also engage in behaviors that are intended to shock or upset others, for example by asking personal questions, making loud inappropriate comments or having meltdowns in front of peers. In kids who fit the PDA profile, resistance is sometimes mistaken for willful defiance, but it’s better understood as a result of anxiety and inflexibility.