When caring for an Autistic family member, carer fatigue and burnout are critical, yet often overlooked, issues within the family system. Many families are doing it tough, constantly advocating for support, navigating complex systems like education, healthcare, and disability services, and shouldering much of the emotional and practical scaffolding required to meet their child’s needs.

If you are in an intimate partnership, then being a PDAer can be challenging for both you and your partner. None of us like to be told what to do therefore it can be helpful to determine how each prefers to receive instructions or tasks. 

University can be an exciting but overwhelming experience for students with a Pathological Demand Avoidant (PDA) profile. The structure, deadlines, and constant expectations can activate avoidance, anxiety, overwhelm and accumulate into Autistic burnout and disengagement from university studies.

If you’re an adult PDAer, you’ve probably spent a lot of time trying to make sense of yourself in a world that often feels overwhelming, unpredictable, or full of invisible rules. The good news is—you’re not alone, and there can be ways to make life feel more manageable, more yours.

If you’ve ever found yourself avoiding even simple tasks—ones you genuinely want to do—you might have wondered why. Maybe you feel intense resistance when someone asks you to do something, even if it’s something you’d normally enjoy. Perhaps deadlines send you into a spiral of avoidance, or you find yourself using elaborate strategies to reclaim a sense of control over daily demands. If this sounds familiar, you might relate to Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)

Taking the step to seek an Autism assessment is an act of self-care and courage. Whether you’re looking for answers, validation, or guidance, know that the process is designed to support and empower you. At The Kidd Clinic, our hope is that you leave the assessment feeling seen, understood, and equipped to thrive as your authentic self.

As humans, we are wired for connection. In the past, our survival depended on it as humankind quickly learnt that we were stronger and safer together. While we no longer face threats like sabre-toothed cats (thankfully), the need for connection remains just as vital to our wellbeing. 

By fostering an understanding of differences, finding preferred communication methods, and supporting each other’s needs, you can build a relationship that thrives on mutual respect, care, connection, and shared strengths. What works for you as a couple may not look like what works for others—and that’s perfectly imperfect.

Caregivers can feel concerned about their child’s health and frustrated when their continual efforts to increase volume or variety at mealtimes are not successful. Eating can be an overwhelming sensory experience for our neurodivergent children. By developing a warm, trusting relationship, supporting the child’s autonomy and creating an environment that facilitates positive emotional responses to mealtimes, you can support  your child with eating in a neuro-affirming way. 

Before receiving an Autism diagnosis, families may have limited knowledge about Autism and misconceptions about what being Autistic looks like, and these six letters can cause a combination of feelings including uncertainty, fear, confusion, and even guilt.

Fatherhood is journey that can be filled with joy, challenges, and growth; it is both a universal and individually nuanced experience. Being a neurotypical dad to a neurodivergent child (and/or being neurodivergent yourself) adds a layer of complexity to the experience that can be both enriching and, at times, overwhelming. That is, even more so when there are traits of demand avoidance or a full pathological demand avoidance profile present.

Moving homes can present numerous exciting possibilities. We may have selected a home that is a better fit for our needs or preferences moving forward. The home may be more financially sustainable, a more accommodating size for our growing family, or a more convenient location for accessing valued activities or supports in the local area (e.g., health services, hobbies, education/employment, and family-time). We may be excitedly anticipating the associated novelty or embracing the opportunity to reorganise our way of living.

Over the course of her life, a woman can experience various hormonal changes starting from pre-adolescence through to post-menopause. For adult women presenting to therapy at our clinic, the transition phase of perimenopause - menopause and how it intersects with Autism and ADHD, is often a hot topic of discussion for the over 40s in our individual sessions and groups.

Dysphoria signifies a significant disconnect between one’s emotional state and what is considered a comfortable or positive experience. While RSD is not an official clinical diagnosis, it is a term that resonates with many individuals who struggle with extreme emotional sensitivity, particularly in the context of ADHD.

As a psychologist, often my role is to ‘fix’ presenting problems when they arise or assist if a client is in crisis. Often this can be more difficult and can be a much slower process to support clients to return to a healthy way of functioning.

Autistic joy is not just about happiness, it’s about experiencing life in a way that is deeply authentic to one’s autistic identity.  ‘Joy’ as a general concept can be defined as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness”.

Cultural myths about Autism and other disabilities can deter people from seeking help. Information that may be helpful for one person might be too much, or too little, or even confusing for another.

Grief is a universal experience for us all and can come in many forms. Most of us know grief to be associated with the loss of a loved one or pet, however we can also experience loss without death being a factor.

Yoga encourages mindfulness and self-awareness which are both powerful tools for helping us to understand our emotions and teaches self-regulation. Through regular practice of yoga techniques such as meditation, mindfulness and focused breathing, we gain insight into our emotional responses and manage stress and anxiety more effectively. The slower, deeper, more rhythmic breathing practiced in yoga, allows us to tap into the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for activating the relaxation response in our body. For autistic folk, who may experience heightened levels of anxiety or emotional dysregulation, yoga offers a calming space to explore and understand their emotions without judgement.