Relationship Development Intervention (RDI®) is a social, emotional, cognitive approach to provide children with Autism and other neuro-developmental disorders the tools needed so that they can achieve high quality employment, real reciprocal friendships, independence and in many cases marriage and successful family life. And we know that it is never too late to start.
Family members can learn how to mindfully guide children with challenges to overcome obstacles to growth and development by restoring a more natural normalized relationship we call the “guided participation relationship”. Adults learn to use the activities of daily life to embed safe, but challenging experiences for the child. Children learn to respond in more flexible, thoughtful ways to novel, increasingly unpredictable settings and problems. Safety, trust and resilience emerge as children learn they can make more sense of our continually complex world. Real-world competence emerges as they take ever-greater responsibility for conquering authentic tasks and problems with many partners and in many settings.
CHILDREN
Initiate joint attention and perspective sharing
Increase in self-esteem, self-awareness and self-regulation
Build foundations necessary for effective reciprocal spontaneous communication
Become more flexible thinkers, problem solvers and creative collaborators
Develop greater resiliency to life’s challenges and uncertain situations
Increase in motivation to learning and for new discoveries
Improves quality of life for the whole family
Improvement in ability to navigate social settings and develop meaningful relationships
PARENTS
Learn about the core-deficits of ASD in order to understand their children better
Become empowered to make the difference in their child’s life
Reduces stress and over reliance on outside professionals
Provides developmental “do-over” with a systematic step by step parent and child objectives
Find RDI to be cost effective
Remediate Autism during every day meaningful activities
Helps restore a reciprocal emotional communication with your child
RDI Packages and Information
RDI Introductory 3-month package
Start your personalized training here! You will be taught the foundational reasons for your child’s delay and how to help your child improve. You will receive an initial Relationship Development Assessment that will help you identify the “edge of competence” in your relationship with your child. Starting from this edge, you will be given strategies for guiding your child to develop “dynamic intelligence” and achieve new goals. You will also receive admission to the RDI curriculum and learning platform, which typically has a subscription cost of $50/month.
At the end of this package, you will:
- Have an RDA report detailing the ‘edge of competence’ in your guiding relationship with your child
- Know where to start with your child and understand your child’s specific challenges
- Understand the purpose of the Guiding Relationship and the importance of Dynamic Intelligence
- Understand the difference between limit setting vs controlling, and understand how to manage your child’s behaviors (in the long term)
- Understand the importance of having a home life and daily routine that supports you and your child and know the strategies necessary to achieve this lifestyle
RDI Introductory Package:
Pre-homework:
- Complete Intake Questionnaire
- Log into the RDI Platform and Review Video Tutorials.
- Each parent submits a video explaining what they want to learn from RDI
Month 1-2:
- Session 1: Making a Plan (contract)
- Homework:
- Readings
- Each parent submits a video interacting with the child
- Homework:
- Session 2: Understanding RDI (Dynamic Intelligence, Guiding Relationship)
- Homework:
- Readings
- Mission Preview
- Homework:
- Session 3: RDA Assessment
- 1-2 hours: parents are video-recorded performing specified activities with their child
- Session 4: RDA-2 Assessment
- 1-2 hours: RDI Consultant engages with the child
- 1-2 hours: The report is written and finalized
- Session 5: Assessment Review
Month 3:
- Session 6: Becoming a Guide and Dynamic Intelligence
- Homework:
- Analyze a video of a guided engagement
- What are the parents doing? What is the child doing?
- Review Reading
- Analyze a video of a guided engagement
- Homework:
- Session 7: Obstacles
- Homework:
- Each parent submits a video reflecting on obstacles and solutions
- Homework:
- Session 8: Brainstorm Engagement Ideas
- Homework:
- Each parent records a planned engagement with the child
- RDI consultant reviews the videos and provides a reflection
- Homework:
RDI Learning 3-6 month package
Welcome to the next step of developing a mindful guiding relationship with your child! You are ready to deepen your understanding as you learn to set activities and goals for your child, and you can move towards independence. You will work to adapt your life-style to fit the needs of your child AND yourself. We will meet weekly or bi-weekly for continued support.
At the end of the package, you will be able to:
- Know how to set Edge + 1 goals with your child
- Know how to set up activities that will inspire mental growth, social skills, and communication
- Understand the goals of RDI and find your child’s level; this will help you learn to independently choose new goals to help your child achieve independence
- Know how to manage your child’s behavior and motivate your child’s intrinsic motivation to succeed
RDI Learning Package:
Month 1:
- Session 1: Balancing a Schedule and Setting the Environment
- Homework:
- Environmental adaptations
- Homework:
- Session 2: Framing an Interaction and Limit Setting
- Homework:
- Record a video of a guided engagement
- Homework:
- Session 3: Dynamic Communication and Experience Sharing (with role play)
- Homework:
- Record a video with the child, or another family member, using language strategies
- Homework:
- * Additional Obstacle Session
Month 2:
- Session 4: Spotlighting child goals: Process vs. Product minded (review videos)
- Homework:
- Review video of guided engagement (personal video or new video)
- Homework:
- Session 5: Reviewing self-goals: Self Awareness and Reflection (Write it down)
- Homework:
- Record a video of a guided engagement and reflect next steps.
- Homework:
- Session 6: Enhancing Speech and Communication (Hanen: Interpreting, ROCK)
- Homework:
- Record a video of a guided engagement and reflect next steps
- Homework:
- * Additional Obstacle Session
Month 3:
- Session 7: Spotlighting child goals: 6 core areas of Dynamic Intelligence Development. Brainstorm Guided Engagements.
- Homework:
- Record a video of a guided engagement and reflect
- Review Child Goals
- Reflect on personalized goals for the child
- Homework:
- Session 8: Reflect and Review
- Homework:
- Prepare for the RDA
- Homework:
- Session 9: RDA re-assessment
- Session 10: Review and next steps
RDI Continuing Support Package: You’re excited about the possibilities RDI holds for you and your child, but you require further support. Consulting sessions can be offered at a discounted rate and payment can be per-session.