Is it normal for all nearly 5 year olds not to listen or is it the autism?

[Neonatal RRT]

PDA is only one presentation and not every autistic person has this.

True, but a lot of children do. They can come off as rather "passive-aggressive" about it as well. I see a fair amount of this when they come into the hospital.

 

[preWarp]

PDA is only one presentation and not every autistic person has this.

Does it mean they are "high functioning" if they do not exhibit a deep hatred of demands on their time?

 

[FayetheAspie]

Does it mean they are "high functioning" if they do not exhibit a deep hatred of demands on their time?

It's just one form and Pathological Demand Avoidance was also called Newson's syndrome just like other presentations had other names such as Kanner's syndrome or Asperger's syndrome. There was also Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified for those who did not fit well within a certain subtype and yet had notable autism like struggles. I am not entirely certain if PDA is supposed to be an actual type of autism or a common comorbidity of autism. There seems to be disagreement between different sources that I have looked at.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Does it mean they are "high functioning" if they do not exhibit a deep hatred of demands on their time?

Not at all. I might suggest that many of us so-called "high functioning" autistics really dislike interruptions in our train of thought or being pulled away from something we were focused on.

A phone rings. The first thing I do is blurt out a swear word and hope no one heard me. I kid you not! I purposely turn off the ringer on my phone. My wife, complaining, "I was trying to call you." "Ooops, left the ringer off again."

I get interrupted all-the-time at work. You'd think after some 40 years I'd be simply beaten down and totally used to it. NO. I despise it. Let me get from point A to point B without having to go through the entire alphabet. Please.