RDI® Program Certified Consultants

“RDI is different than first generation intervention programs because it is geared towards remediation, and not just compensation.”

- Dr. Gutstein

Relationship Development Intervention® (RDI)

RDI^® Is…

... a program for educating and coaching parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and others who interact and work with the child.  RDI is based upon the latest information from developmental psychology and autism research. 

...specifically designed as a program for systematic long-term remediation of the specific deficits which impede people on the autism spectrum from marrying, living independently, contributing to their families, pursuing meaningful careers and developing reciprocally satisfying friendships. It is the mission of those involved in RDI^® to develop methods that allow increasing numbers of individuals on the autism spectrum to attain a improved quality of life.

… is a novel approach to ASD intervention that empowers families. The bulk of resources are invested in preparing parents to act as participant guides, creating daily opportunities for their child to respond in more flexible, 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%).

Real-world competence for the child emerges from participating as an active but junior partner; an “Apprentice,” carefully guided by parents and other adults to master complex problems and settings, despite increasingly greater levels of uncertainty and unexpected change. Guides help the child capture and stockpile critical memories that build an experiential repository of success in gradually more complex environments. Parents are taught to re-think their daily lifestyle, structuring activities throughout the day to provide safe, but challenging opportunities for discovery.

Parents engaged in RDI™ overwhelmingly report significant improvement in their own quality of life, as well as the lives of their “non-affected” children. While family is central to the RDI^® model, treatment success also depends upon the commitment of school staff and other professionals to implement essential principles of remediation. 

 

 

What is RDI^®?

For more comprehensive information on the RDI program, we strongly encourage visiting the Connections Center website at www.rdiconnect.com