Intergenerational Patterns: When Unrecognized PDA Parents Raise Unrecognized PDA Children
Updated: 7 days ago
© 2024–2026 Raven LeFebvre. All rights reserved.
Written by: Raven LeFebvre, LCSW, LCSW-C, LICSW, MAC, CCTP-II
Owner and Founder, Silhouette Psychotherapy PLLC
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level 2 (CCTP-II)
PDA North America Level 1 Certified Clinician
Copyright & Attribution Notice: © 2024–2026 Raven LeFebvre. All rights reserved. This publication, including its original text, selection, arrangement, and other original expressive content, is protected by applicable copyright law. You may cite or reference this publication with appropriate attribution where permitted by applicable law. Attribution alone, however, does not grant permission to copy, reproduce, distribute, display, publish, adapt, create derivative works from, or otherwise use copyrighted material beyond what is permitted by law. Except as permitted by applicable law, including fair use, please obtain prior written permission before reproducing, adapting, publishing, distributing, or otherwise using material from this publication. For permissions, licensing inquiries, or questions concerning use of this publication, please contact Silhouette Psychotherapy PLLC.
Raven LeFebvre's clinical practice is grounded in an anti-oppression and liberation-oriented therapeutic frame, recognizing that emotional, cognitive, and nervous system wellbeing cannot be understood apart from the social, relational, cultural, and systemic environments in which people live. This orientation emphasizes autonomy, self-determination, critical consciousness, and the right of clients to understand their experiences within the broader contexts of power, marginalization, identity, and relational conditioning. Her work considers how oppressive systems, interpersonal dynamics, internalized beliefs, and histories of adaptation can shape the ways people understand themselves and navigate relationships. She is collaborative, with intent to support greater agency, self-trust, authenticity, and freedom from patterns that require self-erasure in order to belong.
This article is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or medical advice. Feel free to reach out to learn about our services.
All ideas, concepts, perspectives, and creative direction are entirely my own.
Table of Contents
The Invisible Inheritance
How an undiagnosed neurodivergent parent with PDA can unknowingly pass forward not only neurological traits, but survival strategies, beliefs about autonomy, patterns of control, masking, and unresolved relational trauma—and how a child with the same nervous-system profile can intensify the very dynamics the parent never understood in themselves.
When Two Autonomy-Seeking Nervous Systems Collide
Why a parent and child with PDA may experience ordinary requests, boundaries, expectations, and transitions as threats to autonomy—and how two nervous systems attempting to protect themselves can become locked in escalating conflict.
The Demand Avoidance Collision
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