Le syndrome d’évitement pathologique des demandes : psychopathie autistique ? Syndrome d’Asperger ? Autisme atypique ? Ou trouble envahissant du développement (TED) spécifique ?

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to inform French clinicians about “pathological demand avoidance” syndrome, also referred to as PDA, described by Elizabeth Newson (1929–2014), professor of developmental psychology at the University of Nottingham in the 1980s. E. Newson discerned a particular behavioral pattern in a subgroup of children who were referred to her for suspicion of autism or Asperger's syndrome without confirmed diagnostic assessment. These children have an inability to tolerate demands imposed upon them and try to resist with strategies of avoidance; being essentially socially manipulative is not compatible with the shared representation of autism. They give an impression of sociability, but they often lack a sense of social identity (e.g. believing themselves to be on a par with or superior to adults), pride or shame. They have mood swings led by need to control their relationship. They appear comfortable in role playing and pretending – often adopting borrowed roles when interacting with others (e.g. relating to peers in the manner of a teacher). In recent years, PDA has attracted increasing clinical attention mainly in the United Kingdom and Northern Europe, but little is known in France. Its validity as well as its place in the nosography are still being debated. E. Newson considered PDA to be a specific pervasive developmental disorder while other clinicians classified it in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). It remains true that PDA is a real clinical problem that imposes a therapeutic challenge: the need for these subjects to control the relationship makes it very difficult to treat. In this article, we illustrate the cardinal signs of this syndrome with a clinical case to facilitate its recognition. We discuss two differential diagnoses: oppositional defiant disorder and ASD. We found that the autistic psychopathy described by Hans Asperger resembles PDA. The interest of E. Newson's work is to highlight the affective and emotional presentation of the symptoms not described in DSM-5 which only emphasizes the deficits of social cognition (deficits in socio-emotional reciprocity, non-verbal communication, restricted interests etc.). Educational approaches effective for PDA differ from “typical” ASD and include novelty, humor and flexibility.