A thoughtfully written article. I can agree with the point that endless new diagnostic titles aren't equal to real answers for individuals. My lived experience though, is that nothing has ever been more of a relief in my parenting journey than to learn about PDA! Oh, how it resonated! How grand it was to find a description that fit like a glove! To find out the behaviors we were coping with were not a result of bad parenting or a 'bad seed' or an 'oppositionally defiant' choice. The techniques that have helped others in the PDA community have helped us! They often did not intuitively feel right and are sometimes opposite of the structured routines that seem to help many autistic children, but, they work. This particular label in this particular case was the answer to many fervent prayers.
Yes I completely agree. In my experience, many healthcare professionals are not interested in getting to know the person in front of them, they don't listen and actually offer treatment/therapy that can actually do more harm than good.
"I’ve read people saying that if a professional thinks that your child is depressed, but actually they are burn out, then they’ll get the ‘wrong treatment’. "
Isn't treatment for burnout actually different than treatment for depression?
Sadly a diagnosis is often required for people to finally start regarding us with respect and start helping us meet our needs. Labels are often the gateway people need to be provided with space to be allowed to be different.
only disagree about depression. i was 100 percent experience autistic burnout and increased HEDS symptoms in college. i needed time off school and support. instead i was given and antidepressant that i am now having to ween off of and that my baby withdrew from at birth.
If you are poor and cannot afford to pay for support, then having labels are a lifeline. For instance, it's almost impossible to get a disability social worker without a learning disability diagnosis, but unless it's moderate or serious, most children are not diagnosed and therefore do not get the support they need. I have seen time after time where my daughter was denied support because she didn't have the right label. They say a label doesn't matter, but when you are poor, a label definitely matters. It's the only access to the right therapy or support. And as they get to adulthood, it's even more important. How do you access PIP without the reports and labels to convince DWP that your young person needs the help. If we could afford to pay for therapies and support, it would be okay. She would get the help she needs, but unfortunately, she's been ignored and denied care since she was three.
Yes absolutely! The labels as an invitation to understand more about yourself or your child, and as a way of learning more from others who share similar struggles can be so valuable, but you can't outsource knowing someone and how to help them, to the label... that way stress and madness lies. And wondering why people don't fit the boxes rather than us learning the person. It won't work.
A thoughtfully written article. I can agree with the point that endless new diagnostic titles aren't equal to real answers for individuals. My lived experience though, is that nothing has ever been more of a relief in my parenting journey than to learn about PDA! Oh, how it resonated! How grand it was to find a description that fit like a glove! To find out the behaviors we were coping with were not a result of bad parenting or a 'bad seed' or an 'oppositionally defiant' choice. The techniques that have helped others in the PDA community have helped us! They often did not intuitively feel right and are sometimes opposite of the structured routines that seem to help many autistic children, but, they work. This particular label in this particular case was the answer to many fervent prayers.
Yes I completely agree. In my experience, many healthcare professionals are not interested in getting to know the person in front of them, they don't listen and actually offer treatment/therapy that can actually do more harm than good.
"I’ve read people saying that if a professional thinks that your child is depressed, but actually they are burn out, then they’ll get the ‘wrong treatment’. "
Isn't treatment for burnout actually different than treatment for depression?
yes. Like I was given an antidepressant in 5 minutes of talking to a psych. was absolutely the wrong thing.
Sadly a diagnosis is often required for people to finally start regarding us with respect and start helping us meet our needs. Labels are often the gateway people need to be provided with space to be allowed to be different.
only disagree about depression. i was 100 percent experience autistic burnout and increased HEDS symptoms in college. i needed time off school and support. instead i was given and antidepressant that i am now having to ween off of and that my baby withdrew from at birth.
If you are poor and cannot afford to pay for support, then having labels are a lifeline. For instance, it's almost impossible to get a disability social worker without a learning disability diagnosis, but unless it's moderate or serious, most children are not diagnosed and therefore do not get the support they need. I have seen time after time where my daughter was denied support because she didn't have the right label. They say a label doesn't matter, but when you are poor, a label definitely matters. It's the only access to the right therapy or support. And as they get to adulthood, it's even more important. How do you access PIP without the reports and labels to convince DWP that your young person needs the help. If we could afford to pay for therapies and support, it would be okay. She would get the help she needs, but unfortunately, she's been ignored and denied care since she was three.
Yes absolutely! The labels as an invitation to understand more about yourself or your child, and as a way of learning more from others who share similar struggles can be so valuable, but you can't outsource knowing someone and how to help them, to the label... that way stress and madness lies. And wondering why people don't fit the boxes rather than us learning the person. It won't work.