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Reflections

Essays from Kristy Forbes exploring PDA, autistic experience, parenting, identity, care, systems and the ordinary moments that shape family life.

When PDAers become animals

Dec 20, 2025

We spend so much time demonising the creative, magical ways in which the human brain (and consciousness) preserves a person’s sanity. Not only do we overlook this, we  actually disrespect it.

I am a person who is multip...

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"What are your qualifications, really?"

Dec 13, 2025

 

I’m asked often about my qualifications. In fact, just yesterday someone asked if I had “any actual qualifications or is it all just personal experience?”

 

I don't typically answer this. But here goes:

Are these t...

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Lay the flowers at your own feet

Dec 05, 2025
 

I would sob in isolation, convinced I didn’t know how to raise my children correctly because I was looking for the ‘right’ (safest, socially acceptable) answer.

I would criticize myself, reject myself, blame myself for ...

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I fear for the rights of my non speaking autistic teen

Oct 12, 2025

I fear for the rights of my teen.

She is non speaking, with significant support needs and requires intensive care around the clock.

We already do not have support workers due to lack in skill level and human nature nec...

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Perfectionism, Perception and PDA

Oct 07, 2025

I was discussing with a friend and fellow PDAer yesterday how challenging it can be to realise I am not being 100% honest with myself and/or others when trying to seek support. To be more specific, I was discussing how, ...

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To Struggle Is To Be Human

Sep 27, 2025

Our children struggling does not immediately indicate that we are not doing enough, or that we are missing some crucial information. To struggle is to be human and our behaviour is not the problem - it’s an end result, o...

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Beyond Compliance: Why Our Children Deserve More Than Declarative Language

Sep 20, 2025

It is disheartening to constantly see the ongoing repetition of themes such as declarative language (which is more often than not, grossly misunderstood and misused) to disguise demands for PDAers. This is but one exampl...

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The Politics of Childhood: Why Compliance Isn’t the Goal

Sep 14, 2025

Existing, being human, is political; and political persuasion begins at home.

We are all part of the collective, and we all live within the systems that harm the most vulnerable, the marginalised, and the hypermarginali...

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PDA Parenting Isn’t Perfect: It’s Real, Raw, and Relational

Sep 07, 2025

One night, not so long ago, we had a PDA standoff.. well, not really a 'stand off' but a "let's see which PDAer can hang in there the longest" with one of my PDAers.

It's shower night. I reminded them.

"Nah, I'm good" sa...

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Is this my child's lack of gratitude, or is it my grief?

Aug 31, 2025

Is this my child’s lack of gratitude, or is it my grief?

There are times I catch myself thinking my child is ‘ungrateful’ for the life they have the privilege of having.

So many of us will recall being told as children...

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