P – Autism Dictionary
Pareidolia is the tendency to perceive meaningful images, like faces, in random or ambiguous stimuli. It’s a common psychological phenomenon where the brain, designed to recognize patterns, interprets visual or auditory input as something familiar, even when it’s not actually there.
See Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia
Paresthesia Pins and needles feels like a pricking, tingling or numbness sensation.
It happens when the blood supply to the nerves is cut off. This is usually when you sit or sleep on part of your body. It only lasts a few minutes.
You often get pins and needles in your, hands, feet, arms and legs. The feeling can be amplified or muted with autism.
See NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/pins-and-needles/
Palilalia is a speech disorder characterised by the involuntary and repetitive utterance of one’s own words, phrases, or sounds. This repetition often occurs immediately after the initial utterance and can be accompanied by a decrease in volume and an increase in speed with each repetition. While palilalia can be a symptom of various neurological conditions, it’s also associated with psychiatric conditions such as Tourette syndrome, autism, ADHD or schizophrenia. Palilalia is similar to echolalia
Palipraxia Where Palilalia is similar to echolalia, Palipraxia is related to body movement. Repetition of ones own body movement or mirroring some else’ body movement. It is usually associated with Tourette syndrome and classified as a “tick”, but it can manifest in people on the spectrum though is rare for us.
Paliskepsi this one is related to ones own thoughts, a Paliskepsi mental tic is a phenomena in Tourettes Syndrome and Tic Disorders in which a phrase, sound, image, or word repeats in the mind, similar how how a motor of vocal tic would physically. Again it’s rare but it does occur with autism and ADHD.
Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) is a profile within Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) characterized by an extreme resistance to everyday demands and expectations. Individuals with PDA experience an anxiety-driven need to be in control and avoid anything perceived as a demand. This can manifest as an inability to comply with basic instructions, avoiding even enjoyable tasks, and using various strategies to resist demands.
On a personal note, my mum learned quickly how to overcome my immediate fury at being asked to do something. Instead of telling me to do “the washing up, or vacuuming etc”, mum learned that by asking me for HELP I’d be much more inclined to do it, and do it immediately.
Further reading: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/behaviour/demand-avoidance
Pedantic Oh yes we are, oh no we are not! This is often associated with speech, and instead of abbreviating speech from “oh no we aren’t”, we can often say instead, “oh no we are not”. But it can also mean we correct mistakes in other peoples assertions, correct factual inaccuracies, grammar and spelling mistakes. It’s our dedication to being factually correct that leads us to correct others, even when we haven’t been asked for help. Many people will see us being rude.
Pervasive drive for autonomy is a term often used synonymously with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), a profile within autism. It describes a strong, anxiety-driven need to resist or avoid everyday demands and expectations, even those that the individual might otherwise want to do. This drive stems from a perceived threat to their autonomy and control.
Phonophobia also known as ligyrophobia or sonophobia, is an intense fear or aversion to specific sounds, particularly loud or sudden noises. It’s a type of specific phobia characterised by excessive anxiety and avoidance behaviours related to sound. As we already have a decreased tolerance to stimuli, it’s should be of no surprise that we also have phonophobia.
Photophobia or light sensitivity, is a common experience for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many autistic individuals find bright lights, especially fluorescent or LED lighting, uncomfortable or even painful, leading to various avoidance behaviours and potential anxiety or meltdowns. I hate bright sunlight, I love the warmth it brings, but it can also be very painful to me to be out in sunlight.
Polytropism this is similar to monotropism but instead of a single focus, we can have multiple focus’.
Further reading recommended: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielledryden_monotropism-polytropism-understanding-activity-7281654858313523200-5wpr/
Proprioception is the knowing or conversely, not knowing where our limbs or body parts are in the world. It lends itself to increased coordination, or clumsiness if proprioception is muted.
Further reading: https://www.bristolautismsupport.org/proprioception/
Prosody is the melody and rhythm of speech, is often altered in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), impacting communication and potentially hindering social interaction. Difficulties with prosody production and perception are common clinical markers of ASD. It can affect tone and cadence of speech, lending it to a flat or emotionless speech. Personally I used to be very robotic in nature and speech, it wasn’t until I was in my late 20’s that I became introspective and realised my many differences, and then I learned to mask more effectively.
See YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htla_kUz2J4
PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, it can lead to intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to the event, even long after it has passed. While many people experience negative reactions after a traumatic event, PTSD develops when these reactions don’t subside and interfere with daily life.
Further reading: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/ptsd-autism