Carolina Erak is a graduate student in John Carroll University's Clinical Mental Health Counseling program focusing on neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed care. Caroline’s interest in PDA within ASD comes from both academic training and lived experience as the parent of an 18-year-old daughter with a PDA profile. Navigating educational, medical, and mental health systems has given Caroline firsthand insight into the frequent misinterpretation of PDA-related behaviors and the limits of compliance-based approaches. This dual perspective drives Caroline’s commitment to increasing awareness, improving clinical understanding, and advocating for more flexible, collaborative, and individualized interventions for individuals with PDA.