My son had started having violent meltdowns that seemed to exponentially escalate no matter what I did to help him. Increasingly, he stopped eating, walking, and speaking. When he wasn’t hidden inside of himself, he would explode, and eventually I became scared of my own child. When I caught his gaze, I would see fear in his eyes too. I had no idea what to do.

Deep down I had always known something about my child was not typical.

As a baby, I could never soothe him and no matter what parenting book I scoured, none of it applied to my son. When I asked pediatricians questions, they told me my son was verbal, socially engaged, and pretty good at eye contact, and not to worry.

So I blamed myself.

I told myself I simply wasn’t a good mom and tried to push through. Until one day I couldn't anymore.

I left my career and we moved our family to a small town in Michigan. After a year as a full-time caregiver, mother, and researcher of my child, I came across Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA).

Suddenly, everything became clear and set me on a journey that has transformed my life and my views and assumptions about human behavior.

By changing how I understand, parent, and accommodate my son, I found a deep connection with him and a sense of competence and peace in my identity as a parent.

Now that my family is at peace and stable, I am committing my energy and time to getting your family or practice there too.