Hi, I’m Sarah Gilmore, a local small business owner. I am a 21 year old local resident that helps school-age children from elementary to High School that are autistic and need help adjusting to society. Below is an excerpt about the services I provide to help those manage their lives in society:

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a term families have started to use as a part of the neurodiversity movement. It is considered a subset of the autism spectrum and is often misdiagnosed as the controversial Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD.) PDA is not currently medically recognized in the United States despite a growing push to add it to the DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder in the next update. PDA is believed to be a nervous system-based disability where the flight-flight response can be activated by perceived demand and can present externally or internally.

 

Want Theory’s focus is on neurodivergent families who need guidance on either homeschooling or navigating a school system not built for them. The founder’s family looked at homeschool and alternative therapy because of panic attacks and trauma from the difficulty of attending public school with autism. At the time there was no coaching available, and Sarah continued conventional therapy and public school, despite the family’s advanced educational background. Want Theory hopes to address the lack of experience and outside help. 

 

Want Theory is beginning operations for a “pay what you can” basis to find a client base that lacks resources, which the business wants to provide. The lack of help for many neurodivergent families to navigate the homeschooling system and pursue alternative or holistic options is more dire when families are low income or uninsured. Many families regardless of income are having trouble finding local or online help despite more information is available today than when the founder was in the public school system growing up. Information and guidance for autistics with diagnosed or suspected PDA profiles have become much more present within the last 4 years of remote education becoming the “new normal” for some families after the pandemic. However, there is no official IEP code or guidelines for teachers about Pathological Demand Avoidance.

 

PDA coaching is a burgeoning movement in the autism field.  Want Theory Coaching is a new small business hoping to fill that need in Philadelphia, founded by Sarah, an autistic adult based on lived experience. Want Theory is based on Sarah’s idea from years in the field and personal experience. The name “Want Theory” is based on the Eastern philosophical idea that wanting things one cannot have are part of the human experience. The “oppositional defiant” or “aggressive” behaviors seen in PDA Autistic children may stem from the fact that they have this “want” more intensely than others can emotionally feel. Autistics with a PDA profile may also lack the tools others have to control their emotions. Want Theory Coaching offers support to families feeling misunderstood by the school system as well as seeking guidance on homeschooling. Want Theory hopes to answer questions like ” I want to homeschool my autistic child, but how can I get him to listen?”

Follow Sarah on Instagram: @wanttheory