If your family has been living through PDA autistic or neurodivergent burnout, or you are starting to sense your child is heading there, this episode is for you. I am joined by Amanda Diekman, autistic adult, low demand parenting coach, and author, to talk about what PDA burnout actually looks like, and how to recognise where your family is in it.

Amanda offers a reframe that stopped me in my tracks: burnout as the ultimate "no."

The deepest, darkest no your child's nervous system has ever said, that then reorients your whole family to what actually matters. She also shares a metaphor for the three phases of recovery that I have not been able to stop thinking about since we recorded.

Key takeaways from this episode:

  • Why PDA burnout is so much more than exhaustion, and what to actually look for
  • Amanda's caterpillar-to-butterfly framework for understanding burnout recovery
  • The mistake that quietly sends families backwards, even when things are getting better
  • Why life after burnout does not look like life before, and why that is a good thing


If this episode lands for you, Amanda's work is one of the most accessible, grounded resources out there for families navigating this. Her latest book and links are below.

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