what is relationship development intervention?
Relationship Development Intervention® (RDI®) is a
treatment program developed by
Dr. Steven Gutstein and his
wife, Dr. Rochelle Sheely in effort to achieve better quality
of life for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Dr. Gutstein’s measurement of quality of life includes
independent living, jobs at the individual’s skill or
cognitive level, and friendships. Preliminary research and
anecdotal report indicate that children are improving their
ability to participate in genuine emotion sharing in their
relationships with family and friends.
RDI® is a family centered approach that is the first
intervention that targets the core deficits of Autism. The
development of RDI® was based on a comprehensive review
of research in typical development, autism, autism treatments,
communications theory, systems theory, cultural and
anthropology research, psychotherapy, brain development and
function, developmental psychology and more. Treatment of
autism through RDI® follows the path of typical
development and is achieved through structured ‘lab
times’ and the practice of the RDI™ principles
and techniques throughout the daily activities of life.
“Each program is individually constructed for the
child's specific needs in order to decrease the child's
obstacles and utilize their strengths to develop meaningful
relationships, cognitive flexibility and relative information
processing.” Parents function as the primary
interventionists with their children under the direction of a
RDI® Program Certified Consultant.
Participation in RDI® begins with the completion of a
parent interview, provision of a 20 minute base-line video
of your child in typical daily activities, administration of
the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale (ADOS), six to eight
hours of parent training and then completion of multi-step
Relationship Development Assessment™ (RDA™) with
your consultant. The information gathered in these steps is
combined to develop a customized treatment plan to assist you
in helping your child develop the motivation and subsequent
skills to share in meaningful relationships with others.
The greatest success is seen in families who learn to
develop a "RDI® lifestyle," but early work will focus on
purposeful daily sessions with each parent and the child.
Families are taught to use their objectives and
frameworks within everyday activities to speed up progress
and ensure generalization. Treatment plans include a custom
combination of clinic sessions, video review and written
feedback and parent conferences. Assessments are repeated at
intervals in the parents objectives or at least annually.
Treatment plans are updated as warranted at each follow-up
assessment.
Quotes are from
www.rdiconnect.com/RDI/FAQ_Fam.asp
|
