One mom finds the humor in an autistic teen’s overzealous hugs.

By Andrea Grant, BA PGDip and PGCert

Ah, children. Tiny tornadoes of joy, anxiety, and (if you’re fortunate like me) regular trips to the first aid cabinet. For some parents of teens, we may be dealing with moments that are a bit more... intense.

Like when your kid turns into that muscled green character of comic book fame at the mere suggestion of brushing her teeth. Meet my daughter Olivia, who has Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

If you’re unfamiliar with PDA, it’s part of the autism spectrum, and at its core, it’s a child’s way of gaining back control from a world that makes them feel like they’re drowning in demands.

Sometimes, these demands are monumental, such as going to school. Sometimes, they’re as simple as, “Honey, can you please take a shower before you start growing mushrooms?”

If PDA were a competitive sport, Olivia would have a gold medal. She was diagnosed at six, but before that, I knew something was different.