Welcome to another episode of the Synergy Autism Podcast! Let's dive in to the profile of Autism called Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), also known as Persistent or Pervasive Demand for Autonomy. Lots of people are talking about it. It is a profile of a subset of the Autism population that has a specific threat response to demands... even those placed on themselves. Blake and I explore what PDA is, how to address it, and lots of other related topics you will probably hear in future episodes! For more information about PDA: https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/ And in reference to using the acronym PANDA for how to support those with this profile (see photo/graphic). MUSIC BY  GRAHAM LAMPE MUSIC And without further ado... here is the podcast! Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #69: Pathological Demand Avoidance Discussion with Blake Baxter

Episode #68: Autism and Empathy  Against Empathy (book) by Paul Bloom Blake Baxter and I dive into the book titled Against Empathy by Paul Bloom. As Blake puts it, "empathy has been weaponized against autism." Listen in to hear more about both autism and the concept of empathy. MUSIC BY  GRAHAM LAMPE MUSIC Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #68: Autism & Empathy (Against Empathy)

  Listen in to Blake's story of his diagnosis in his 50's and how his life began to make more sense because of it. MUSIC BY  GRAHAM LAMPE MUSIC Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #67: Blake's late diagnosis story

My friend, Blake Baxter, shares the beginning of his diagnosis story (more in the next episode) and we are collaborating on a podcast series regarding the ambiguous concept of empathy.  This is part 1 of our series together as we venture together to figure out what is the definition of empathy and why it is assumed to be missing in those with autism when we have seriously different experiences. This is truly just part I.  We will be reviewing books on Empathy, going deeper into his diagnosis, and more.  Follow this podcasts to be alerted of upcoming episodes! MUSIC BY GRAHAM LAMPE MUSIC Synergy Autism Podcast · Episode #66: The beginning of the Blake & Barb Podcasts