Who is involved in the treatment?
What is involved in the treatment?
What does an RDI Program focus on?
How do I know if RDI is a fit for my family?
What steps are involved in doing RDI® with my child?
How much time will I need to devote to practicing RDI at home?
Is my child too “high functioning” or too “low functioning” to benefit from RDI®?
What about children who are non-verbal?
What ages of children do you work with?
What about diagnoses other than autism?
Do I need to use an RDI® consultant?
Can you work with families who do not live near you?
Is RDI® Research Based?
Is there any research that shows RDI® to be an effective intervention?
How does RDI® differ from other types of ASD treatments?
How long can I expect to be using RDI® with my child?
How do I get started with an RDI® program for my child?
How much do RDI® services cost?
Do you accept health insurance?
How did you get interested in RDI®?
Who’s involved in the treatment?
The parents and the child are the only participants in the treatment, with your RDI consultant guiding you through each step of the process. As your child progresses, siblings, other family members, and eventually peers may become more involved in your child’s program.
What’s involved in the treatment?
Parents are expected to subscribe to the RDI online learning system, available through the Connections Center. You’ll have access to RDI training materials, live webinars, a video library, an online parent community, and your personalized plan managed by your consultant. Parents also are required to practice what they learn and demonstrate parent-child moments on video for review and feedback by their consultant. You will meet in-person or online with your consultant every two weeks and be assessed every six to 12 months.
What does an RDI Program focus on?
RDI addresses what are known as “core developmental deficits”. You should see progress in these areas of your child’s development:
- Dynamic Appraisal: This involves paying attention to the most important details and shifting attention continuously as priorities change. Dynamic Appraisal plays an important role in learning, personal safety, job performance, reading social cues, and other life skills.
- Autobiographic Memory: Personal memories of coping strategies that were successful help your child overcome obstacles and anxiety, increase self-confidence, and plan ahead. Autobiographic Memory is important in the development of self-regulation skills and a sense of self.
- Self-Awareness: An accurate sense of self is key to being able to monitor your emotions, regulate yourself, make decisions, and learn from life experiences.
- Experience Sharing: Being connected with others in emotion, attention, thought and understanding is not only meaningful in close personal relationships, it’s central to all communication. Others can quickly sense when a person is following a conversation and cares about what’s being said.
- Other skills: Resilience, social referencing, critical thinking, problem solving and flexible thinking are all part of the RDI program and important for future success.
How do I know if RDI is a good fit for my family?
The RDI Program requires a strong commitment from you, the parent. You must be ready to:
- Make working on family relationships a priority
- Receive feedback
- Make regular time in your schedule
You will also need high-speed internet access, a camera for videotaping, and be willing to submit video of your family to your consultant.
How do I get started with an RDI® program for my child?
If you haven’t read The RDI Book by Dr. Steven Gutstein, this is a good place to start (www.rdiconnect.com). You can also join the online e-learning system, which gives you access to training materials without obligation. Please contact me if you would like an invitation to join. The e-learning courses on this system will eventually be required if you choose to work with a consultant.
If you decide to proceed to the next steps, you’ll need to complete parent training. In this first stage of the program, you’ll practice the core concepts of RDI with your child and will likely see positive results right away!
After training comes the Parent-Child Assessment, which is used to develop your specially tailored plan with goals designed to meet your child’s needs. Ongoing feedback keeps your program effective.
How much time will I need to devote to practicing RDI at home?
This will vary and be determined by your RDI® consultant, however, in the beginning you can expect to devote at least several hours a week to e-learning, completing assignments your consultant designs for you, and applying RDI concepts directly with your child. You will be shown tools for communicating effectively, inspiring curiosity, promoting problem-solving and flexible thinking, and reaching other important goals. As you become more familiar with these tools, you will find yourself using them effortlessly throughout your day, rather than having to schedule “RDI time.”
Is my child too high functioning or too low functioning to benefit from RDI®?
Individuals of any level can benefit from RDI®, regardless of IQ, diagnosis, or language skills. The RDI program addresses core deficits and is tailored to fit the individual’s needs.
What about children who are non-verbal?
RDI is highly effective with children who are non-verbal.
What ages do you work with?
I work with all ages, from toddlers to adults.
What about diagnoses other than autism?
The RDI program addresses core deficits, and is appropriate for a wide range of diagnoses that affect development, including ADHD, learning disorders and other related neurodevelopmental delays.
Do I need to use an RDI® consultant?
The RDI consultant is the most important tool in the RDI home program. The consultant matches the family’s needs with the “just-right” level of challenge, and designs a program tailored to overcome obstacles and speed progress. As parents go through the program, they become more experienced as guides to their child and are able to reduce their need for a consultant.
Can you work with families who do not live near you?
Yes. Since the RDI Program is designed to be implemented in the home by parents, nearly all of it can be managed easily via “distance consulting” using videotaping and internet access. For families living outside the United States, please click here for international program options.
Is there any research showing that RDI® is effective?
Yes, please visit: www.rdiconnect.com for the latest published research on RDI.
How long can I expect to use RDI® with my child?
The RDI® Program has been described as a marathon rather than a sprint, meaning the goals of promoting healthy development are long-term. Most families use their RDI training over many years as their child progresses through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood.
Is RDI® expensive?
Compared to other therapies, RDI® is cost-effective. Instead of paying a professional an hourly rate, you’re investing in yourself and your own abilities to produce results with your child. You’ll use what you learn every day in a way that naturally fits your family’s lifestyle and yields tremendously rewarding results.
Do you accept health insurance?
Yes, my services are partially covered by most private insurance plans. Please contact my office for details.
To learn more about RDI® visit www.rdiconnect.com. You can also email or call us at 253-639-7146 with your questions, or to request a free information packet.