By Maisie Soetantyo
* (Originally published in Autism World Magazine: April 2014)

  RDI was developed by renowned clinical  psychologists, Dr. Steven Gutstein and Dr.  Rachelle Sheely and their team of  consultants in Houston, Texas.  Based on the latest research on  neuroplasticity, the RDI program aims to  improve neural connectivity in individuals  with Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as  many other childhood disorders such as  Reactive Attachment Disorder, ADHD,  Tourette Syndrome, etc.  The RDI consultants complete a yearlong  extensive certification training, and currently  are available in 25 countries worldwide.

RDI provides a comprehensive program to  restore the natural Guided Participation  Relationship between parent and child  where it has been disrupted or never  developed due to atypical development.  As a result of this disruption, parents often  describe a high level of anxiety in their  special needs children which is expressed in  inflexibility, behavioral problems, learning  difficulties, social and communication  challenges.

What sets the RDI program apart is the  intensive parent training component  designed for both parents’ involvement from  the beginning, and real life coaching taking  place in the home setting with the whole  family.  A trained RDI Consultant works with each  family to develop an individualized set of  objectives that may include simplifying the  home environment, slowing down the pace  of life, balancing the entire family’s schedule  and life outside of a special needs  diagnosis.  The RDI program believes that making  lasting, meaningful and lifelong changes  begins at home with the child’s parents first,  and that the remediation process should  take place amidst each family’s unique  culture and relationships.

How the RDI Program works

Relationship Development Assessment

Parallel to the process of trust and  communication building between a parent  and his/her child, the RDI program also  emphasizes a partnership between parents  and their consultant.  An RDI consultant serves as a parent coach  who provides education on the core deficits  of ASD, puts together a systematic plan to  implement each objective in practical ways  and together with parents, monitor progress.

An initial RDI assessment consisting of  select, age appropriate activities is  administered to the parents and their child,  followed by a session between the  consultant and the client, provides a  complete picture of each person’s strengths  and weaknesses, possible co-occurring  conditions and developmental obstacles. In  addition, information on potential activity  themes, communication and environmental  modifications, as well as needed scaffolding  levels would emerge from the assessment  process.

Based on the initial assessment a  comprehensive short term plan for each  family is set in motion. Common initial  parent objectives may include assigning a  15-minute daily increment for quality time,  slowing down communication pace,  increasing use of non-verbal communication  channels, or reducing screen time for  everyone in the family.

Ongoing RDI Parent Training

After the assessment process is completed,  parents and an RDI consultant begin their  collaborative work to remediate the areas of  deficits. An invaluable tool for RDI  consultants and families is the RDI Online  Learning System, which is a private platform  used to organize ongoing communication,  video submissions, current and future  objectives and yearly assessment findings.  In addition, parents have access to a video  library containing samples of RDI work  donated by other families, webinars on a  variety of topics and ongoing discussion  groups with other parents.

The frequency and format of ongoing  supervision for each family is individualized,  depending on the progress and the  objective at the moment. It is common that  parents and consultant would meet without  the child whether it’s a face to face, Skype  or phone consultations. Home visits and  community outings are also important for an  RDI consultant to guide parents in their  most natural setting. To help parents  understand their objectives, a consultant  might utilize modeling, role playing, planning  ahead, watching video clips of daily  interactions as well direct work during follow  up sessions.