Low-Demand Parenting: Dropping Demands, Restoring Calm, and Finding Connection with your Uniquely Wired Child

This is the book I wish I’d had when I first stumbled across the term Pathological Demand Avoidance many years ago when I was searching for answers to help me better understand and therefore, better support, my struggling four year old. This was at a time when PDA was less known that it is now, and still it’s hard to find a practitioner who has heard of it these days.The author gives a raw and heartfelt summation of her experience on this path of discovery, and practical tools to help identify the demands in our child’s life, and which ones can be dropped or need to be kept. I’ve been doing this the long, arduous way for a few years now, am no stranger to the concept of creating a low demand environment, nor to the idea of declarative language, and still I have found helpful tips, tools, and some reframing that I still need to work on.I’m only halfway through and I’m so excited about this book that I had to come leave a quick review.Oh! I also appreciate the formatting and short, direct sentences. It’s not a very long book, and with the formatting and succinct structure, my own neurospicy brain can stay engaged with the content and absorb it in small chunks as needed. I truly appreciate that.

Discovering Low Demand Parenting changed the trajectory of my family's well-being. Parenting and living through this lens allowed my PDA autistic son to heal from burnout, and gave me space to begin moving through the trauma of his crisis years. The book balances Amanda's inspiring personal story with highly accessible, implementable steps to help your child, your parenting partner, and you, live more peaceful, attuned, and fulfilling lives. There are changes you can make immediately upon reading this book, and there are mindset shifts you will process as you continue on your journey. Truly, the Low Demand lifestyle is long game parenting. It's parenting to change the world and challenge the status quo when you know the norm is not the right fit for your family. Low Demand Parenting is essential for PDA, but helpful for all parents and caregivers who want to focus on connection, relationships, and meeting the needs of the whole family in a respectful way.

Good book for moms and dads

REALLY like the friendly and easy to read lay out of this book. There are great resources and prompts for parents at the back of the book that can help get you started on your low demand journey. I was going to get the audiobook but saw a friends copy and loved the layout so I got my own and so glad I did. I refer to the book over and over and really appreciate the authenticity of the author and how zero judgment there is in however you go about your low demand journey to best fit your own families needs. GREAT read!

I started off loving the book. I ended up being unimpressed. It was repetitive. It spent a good chunk talking about screen time (already fully accepting the love of screens in our home). I felt like it took a good first step, but never finished the marathon. There's soooo much more to living a low demand life. I picked up this book (pamphlet?) as a refresher because I'd taken a break from the deep dive learning and I noticed my family was needing for my husband and I to check back in and find the areas that needed to be in focus again. This took me back to the beginning of our journey, but it just stayed there.This book just touches the surfaces. I think it's going to give a lot of parents a feel good rush and then that feeling is going to crash hard when they realize this book doesn't cover the full scope of things.Do yourself a favor and check out Kristy Forbes. I could be wrong, but I didn't see her listed anywhere in the book. She's a PDA mom to PDA children.

While this book was written from the perspective of an neurodivergent mother raising three nd children, I believe it is a crucial read for every parent. This book challenges the common parenting conceptions, mostly in the western society, and gives parents an opportunity to choose differently. Even if you don’t opt for all the changes Diekman proposes, I’m sure there are good ideas for you to find.

This book is for every overwhelmed + frustrated parent. Low Demand Parenting is deep boundary + internal work on YOU, the parent. It’s about “Being the One” you want to see in your family - this process delivers in seeing your children choose to do the same.I felt like I was reading my own story - so many similar events, struggles - it was so validating. I felt seen and deeply heard.Amanda breaks down the neuroscience of connection and neurpdivergence into everyday language and has assimilated a large body of research into her approach that is centered in deep connection.Practically, it’s easy to read and written for parents in the trenches, the chapters are short, there are plenty of resources in the back for taking immediate action and guiding further learning.

Earlier this year, our family was at it's breaking point in so many ways. Finally, answers came in the way of a PDA diagnosis for my 11-year-old daughter. That gave us some understanding but not a lot of answers about what to actually DO. This book takes a lot of the ideas about how to help a PDA child (and therefore an entire family) and puts them into practical terms that can actually be acted on. I identified with so much of Amanda's story. I appreciate the insight and thoughtful way this book is presented, as well as how raw and honest it is. We are still figuring this all out a day at a time, but this book really helped us get on a track that works so much better and releases SO MUCH guilt, shame, and doubt about the struggles we face and how we must approach every minor aspect of our lives. Thank you!

Absolutely love this book, the author is incredibly helpful and provides practical real life insights and realistic expectations

This book is a great perspective shift from ‘traditional’ parenting books. If you have PDA/neurodivergent kids (or grownups) it’s going to help you save your relationships, stop shaming yourself for how you have to live (which is very different to a lot of people), and work out how to take care of everyone’s needs as best as possible. I’ve followed Amanda for a while and her advice and knowledge means that my kids trust me, they know I’ll respect their ‘no’ when it’s too hard, and subsequently our world has opened up and they feel safe to learn (self-directed). Life can still be very hard, but so much better than it was in the dark days of burnout when kids were unable to eat, leave screens, or go out of the house. Thank you Amanda <3

I have been a teacher and worked with kids for all of my adult life. I thought I knew exactly how to bring up kids until I had neurodivergent teenage girls. This has turned all of my ideas about what is right on their heads and has transformed our household. It has enabled me to parent my daughter in such a way as to connect with her much more deeply, help her to manage so many things that she wasn't managing before and it feels like it's enabled me to 'bring her back from the dead'!

With this book, it feels like someone gets my family. It wipes aside the shame I feel what talking about this method with 'professionals'. What I absolutely love is that Diekman backs up her assertions with references to the research. So not only do I feel empowered on our journey, I feel I have been given the tools to battle the prejudice and shame of outdated thinking. Thank you Amanda.

Most of the content is similar to the declaration handbook book .overall ok.