Connect and Relate for Autism - Aspergers, Autism, Relationship Development Intervention

RDI® is a parent based process where parents are provided the tools to effectively guide the development of Dynamic Intelligence and Motivation for their child

RDI® Empowers Families to act as participant guides, creating daily opportunities for the child to respond in more flexible and thoughtful ways to novel, challenging and increasingly unpredictable settings and problems. Both fathers and mothers are essential participants in the treatment process. Current estimates of father’s participation in RDI® are over 90%

RDI® is about changing neurology
RDI® is a way for people on the spectrum to become flexible thinkers and creative problem solvers, who enjoy the challenges of change and discovery and who desire to expand their world.

Preliminary research indicates that RDI® is a powerful, effective means for increasing children’s capacity and motivation for experience sharing, as well as their flexibility and adaptation.

RDI® prepares and guides parents to act as participant guides by restoring the critical early guided participation relationship damaged by the autism spectrum disorder.

Parents acting as guides create numerous daily opportunities for the child to respond in more flexible thoughtful ways. Guides help the child capture and stockpile critical memories that build memories of success in gradually more complex environments.

Parents engaged in RDI® overwhelmingly report significant improvement in their own Quality of Life as well as the lives of their non affected children.

Getting Started with Relationship Development Intervention® RDI®

Look at the Connect and Relate for Autism Inc, CaRfA. www.connectandrelateforautism.com.au
Download information and contact a Connect and Relate for Autism Inc – CaRfA qualified RDI® Certified Consultant
Look at the Testimonials and video from Parents who use RDI®
Contact a CaRfA Certified Consultant RDI® to talk with a family using RDI®
Contact other RDI® Certified Consultants in Australia
Look at the Connections Center web page www.rdiconnect.com
Read THE RDI® BOOK by Dr Steven Gutstein NEW 2009
Read ‘My Baby can Dance’, a collection of stories from families using RDI®, and ‘Awakening Children’s Minds’ by Laura Berk, two of the suggested reference books for families using the RDI® process
Attend an Introductory RDI® workshop if available
Talk to a family already doing RDI®
Make an appointment with an RDI® Certified Consultant to find out more about the RDI® process
Contact your Autism Advisor for information on your options and access to Dept FaHCSIA “Helping Children with Autism” Early Intervention Services funding
Make an appointment to start working with an RDI® Certified Consultant and progress into using the RDI® process to provide remediation for your family and child.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT RDI®

HOW DO I START RDI®?

In the initial set up after selecting RDI® as your choice of programme for your child, there will be a gathering of information and assessment period necessary for the Consultant to best understand your family and child, and begin the journey with you.

Parents become familiar with the RDI LS™ the online Learning System that connects them with their Consultant that allows communication for the development and ongoing progress of their programme.

Parents begin working on understanding how Dynamic Intelligence develops and allows the brain to make complex connections and develop flexibility.

Parents begin to understand how the foundations of Dynamic Communication are made.

Parents begin to understand how children are guided and learn how they become an apprentice.

It is through this development of the Guided Participation Relationship that parents are able to assist their child develop their Dynamic abilities. This ability for Dynamic Intelligence impacts directly on the development of the Quality of Life potential for their child.

Parents start incorporating changes into their daily life with their child and the family while learning to understand (and distinguish from the myths), the real nature of the debilitating core deficits of ASD and the true impact for their child’s Quality of Life.

Parents are guided to understand and tackle issues that will assist in assessing their ‘fit’ for the process, identify their goals, prioritize and manage their resources and to identify and manage obstacles.

This is an invaluable foundation which helps facilitate for collaboration and progress in the Relationship Development Assessment® and for the ongoing Relationship Development Intervention® process.

Doing the RDI® process, with your Certified Consultant to act as your RDI® guide, Parents will work through the Beginning Stages of the Parent Guided Participation Programme where there will be ongoing work on the Parent Education and Readiness Objectives, and the Parent Apprenticeship Objectives.

The Advanced RDI® Stage includes working on the Advanced Parent Guided Participation Programme Stage Objectives and also work will commence on the Child Guided Participation Objectives.

Parents work on refining the techniques and tools of Guided Participation. Parents then progress onto the Transferring Responsibility Stage Objectives where they become their own Guides and take on the responsibility of their Guided Participation Programme.

WHAT ABOUT ASSESSMENT?

The RDA® [the Relationship Development Intervention Assessment] is done regularly at the commencement of your RDI® work with your Certified Consultant and then at the commencement of each new Stage of Parent Objectives. This provides the ongoing assessment of the foundations of the Guided Participation Relationship, provides a review of progress and a preview for planning of the new work.

WHAT IS THE RDI LS™ ?

After families become contracted with a qualified Certified Consultant or Consultant in Training they will be able to subscribe to the RDI LS™ - the online learning system. Only qualified RDI® Certified Consultants (and Consultants in Training under supervision) will be using this state of the art, online Relationship Development Intervention ®Operating and Learning System RDI LS™.

This guarantees families are receiving the latest RDI® protocol and service. Your account on the RDI LS™ allows for online learning and discussion, direct access to your family’s RDI® resources and materials, the ability to monitor your child’s progress, direct access to interact online with your RDI® Certified Consultant, the ability to organise your child’s information into reports and access to the RDI® Programme Curriculum.

Cost of this subscription is separate to the fees paid to your consultant. Subscription to this online system is required as part of participating in an RDI® Programme.

HOW DOES RDI® WORK?

RDI® is re-engineering. It is Remediating what is missing for an infant/child or adult on the Autism Spectrum.

RDI ® has been developed to Remediate the Information Processing deficits that are universal but by no means unique to persons on the Autism Spectrum
It is a cognitive developmental remediation program.

It is a marathon and not a sprint.

Certified RDI™ consultants are trained to guide you to become the Guides for your child. They teach parents, grandparents, teachers and other significant adults to re-construct the guided participation relationship. They help break down learning to think and perceive a world full of change and complexity into small, simple components. They teach adults to slow down and amplify information feedback, so that both adults and children are more readily able to understand and adjust to one another.

Parents who participate in the RDI program are reporting dramatic changes:

Children are significantly more motivated to accept guidance
Children value time interacting with parents over other activities and objects.
Children are more interested in how parents and other family members feel.
Couples report a significant reduction in conflicts and stresses related to the child
They feel more hopeful and less fearful about what the future holds
They feel a decreased need to act as a buffer and advocate for the child
They perceive their children as engaging more in planned, thoughtful action and see a significant increase in their ability to generate productive creative ideas and responses
Their children show a strong desire to take greater responsibility in their daily lives

2 ½ years after starting RDI less than 15% of children were still in special education classes (compared to over 90% prior to RDI) Parents reported an increase in age-appropriate flexibility and adaptation from 16% to over 70%, while over 90% of children were rated in the “autism” range by the ADOS prior to RDI, after 2 ½ years fewer than 10% received the “autism” rating.

Because of RDI, thousands of parents and educators have now realized that we can give our children and ourselves a second chance.

We can provide our children with the opportunity to become dynamic thinkers and communicators.

We can create pathways to success and a quality of life.

WHAT DO I NEED TO HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO RDI®?

To participate in the RDI® Programme you are required to work with an RDI® Certified Consultant or Consultant in Training.

You need to choose Remediation as the focus for your work with your child.
Preferably both parents or primary carers of your child need to be engaged in the programme. You need to be able to allocate time and resources to this.

You need to subscribe to the online Learning System RDI LS™ as well as provide contracted payments to your Consultant.

You need a computer system that will provide preferably Broadband Internet access and sufficient processing memory to manage your online system and processing of video clips
You need a video camera set up to create video of your work for feedback and review.

You need to have a desire to create a change and have a goal to or view of the future for both your child and for you as parents and for your family.

USEFUL RESOURCES