The RDI approach uniquely addresses the core issues of autism neglected by more traditionally accepted methods. This protocol is practical, useable and livable. – Mary Maness-Oliver

This is something that can be applied to any situation or with other members of the family. – Alison and Don Telge

I would recommend it to a friend with children period, not just ASD children. This has been very informative on how to spend real effective time with your children to help them grow as children into young adults. – Brett Mathews

Daniel no longer prefers playing quietly alone during his down time. He actively engages us and other children to play with him all day! He truly wants to connect with us as much as we want to with him. The RDI Program has helped us understand how to teach him about this and how much fun it can be! – Daniel, age 4, St. Louis

Michael required a one-on-one aide in school until he started the RDI Program. His actions seemed ritualized with objects. He was very involved with self-play and tuned out everything else. He never came running to me after school. Now he runs to see me after school. For the first time he tells me he loves me on his own. – Michael, age 7, California

Gives you hope to make real life changes for your child. – Susan Sapato

Yes, a very informative and exciting method...finally, something that works for all age groups. – Lorraine Cristofanetti

RDI makes sense and lets you be a parent. It is exciting to know your instincts are correct! – Nancy Dodman

Four years ago when my 2 ½ year old son, Eli, was diagnosed with autism, he had slipped so far into his own world that I feared he didn't even realize I was his mom. He came to me to get his basic needs met, but didn't protest when I left him with someone else or get excited when I returned from being away. He rarely smiled at me, sometimes called another woman "mommy" and had trouble picking me out of a group of people. Very little, if any, emotional connection existed between us, even though I was a devoted, stay-at-home mommy. It was heartbreaking. At the time, I felt like giving up hope on a normal life for Eli and our family. I tried my best to help him by devoting myself to managing his team of therapists, but I always knew in the back of my mind that I was who he needed the most. We saw very little meaningful progress and discontinued "team" therapy after 13 months.

Then, a friend introduced me to RDI and my hope for the future was restored. RDI gave me the knowledge I needed and a plan to really help my child. After beginning our work with a certified consultant, Eli started responding to me in a more natural way and our relationship slowly changed. He began glancing at me. We plodded on and the glances turned to more frequent gazes. We were feeling more connected, competent and at ease in our daily dance than we had ever been. Somewhere along the way his smile returned and I realized how much I had missed it. Sweet laughter followed the smile and I realized how rarely I had heard him laugh during his short life. Now, after 2 ½ years of RDI, my 6 year old is finally getting "hooked" on me. He doesn't want me to leave him. He wants to hold my hand. He asks for me if I leave him with his dad or a babysitter and runs out to greet me with a huge hug, a fabulous smile and an enthusiastic "MOMMY!" when I return. We do things together now and he wants to be with me. What a difference! – Andrea M., Barbourville, KY

Being medical professionals, my husband and I are only too aware of the limitations of medical science. What we read up on autism therapy was not encouraging. We are also very aware of the danger of losing the plot in the pursuit of treatments. Therefore we tried to keep in mind that Kenneth should be as happy and natural as possible, that he should not be overloaded with a barrage of treatments, and that he should develop in his own time. In fast- paced, achievement- oriented, cookie-cutter Singapore, the last goal is much harder than you think.

It's been about 9 months now, and boy, what a time we are having. At its most basic, the RDI Program forces us to spend time together. And mind you, it's time spent interacting, not working. Reviewing the videos made me so much more aware of the subtle undercurrents going on in my interaction with him. I have a new understanding of him and vice versa. His level of trust in me has gone up. And Kenneth? He's still a happy little boy. But he's added more dimensions to his personality: learning to speak in sentences, showing a caring side, being able to relate events that happened earlier. Recently, he discovered the Mandarin words he's been learning have an English equivalent and he excitedly showed me his new knowledge. I do not know which I am happier with–his academic knowledge or his wanting to share with me. Of course he's still a work in progress, just like all of us.

And what am I going to do when the year's up? It's a no-brainer–continue doing what works. – Hui and Mark Boon, Singapore (Bimal Rai/Consultant)

I think the initial diagnosis given him of 'Severe Learning Difficulties' is probably right. However with our support he is now so willing to stick with something he finds difficult, and can reference us for guidance, that he is steadily learning new things. Who knows what the future may bring? Basically Joe is great to be with. We had a lovely weekend just gone. Swimming as a family. Meal in a cafe afterwards. Joe perfectly content to sit with us and share the meal. Played chase and hide and seek with his cousins afterwards. For balance I should probably say that he can of course be a complete monkey at times and remains capable of going off into his own little world and completely ignoring us! Today in his school book his teacher wrote "Wow! Joe has been a superstar today. During our counting session this morning he counted 1-5 with no help and found the corresponding number cards 1-5. At playtime he initiated a lovely game of chase with another child and so enjoyed sharing the fun of chasing and being chased." We think he is a superstar too. – Catherine and Nicholas, Shopshire England

My son Nolan had been in a few different social group settings, all which "taught" him how to play games. Make eye contact, wait your turn, don't get upset when you lose. He had made some progress, but if something did not go as planned, the experience turned out to be a nightmare. He would tantrum, scream and tell us that he "never wanted to play this game again!" Now, in our 8th month of our program, Nolan (age 9) and I sat down to play a game of 'Kurplunk.' It's that game where you place sticks horizontally in a tube, and put marbles on top of the sticks. Then, pulling the sticks out turn by turn, the one with the least marbles wins the game.

We began to pull our sticks out one by one. After several turns, Nolan pulled out a stick, and spilled almost all the marbles into his dish. I braced myself for his reaction, ready for anything. Instead, he looked at me smiling and said, "your turn, mom." I pulled my stick. A single marble fell into my dish. Nolan took his turn, and the balance of the marbles fell into his dish. I looked at him and said, "OK, now let's count and see who has more marbles." Nolan looked at me smiling and laughing, "Mooooooom, I think we already knooooow. Re-match!" He actually wanted to play again! The RDI Program is giving our family a chance to experience the little gifts of 'typical' life. – Many thanks to Annette S., Los Angeles, CA, for her story.

As a father with a son on the spectrum, I really believe that RDI has been instrumental in improving my relationship with him. I have gained a better understanding and acceptance of his limitations and the rate at which he makes progress. Understanding how he learns best, the obstacles that kids with ASD face and the knowledge that there are things I can do to help him, can be very empowering to a parent, especially a father. For example, knowing how to spotlight information or emotions to draw his attention and increase his interest in whatever we are doing has enabled us to increase the time we spend doing things together. This in turn has helped to broaden his interest in what I call ‘guy’ stuff, like using our leaf blower, working together with tools fixing things, and being a part of Cub Scouts.

Sometimes the progress he has made with RDI takes me by surprise. It is great to see when he interacts with a peer and he uses a function or skill I didn't notice him using before, then realize it was an RDI function or skill we've been working on. You can't help but feel proud and see it as another example of how RDI is really making a difference in his life. The single greatest thing about RDI is learning how to best relate to your child. When you've mastered that, it’s a whole lot easier to sit back, relax, and just have fun with your kid. – Maurice D., Brookfield, CT

I discovered RDI a little more than a year ago, just as my son Erik (age 19) was successfully completing his academic program at a special education day school. He had done quite well in school, but lacked what I would call "motivation for life." My sense was that no amount of medication for co-occurring disorders, vocational rehabilitation, occupational therapy, or further schooling would provide him with the vital spark so critical to really living a full life.

We have been doing the program intensely since December, 2004, greatly assisted by our Consultant, Kim Isaac. We have found that once we grasp the principles of what we are doing, we can adapt ordinary life events into RDI opportunities. At the beginning of the process, Erik was very difficult to engage and he had a very flat, depressed affect. He seemed as depressed about his future as I was worried. Now, eight months later, the depressed demeanor has disappeared, he responds in conversation much more readily, and generally is considerably more engaged with the people and events around him. There have been moments that tell me that he is emerging into a new awareness about his life: sharing a smile with me about a significant accomplishment, telling me he needed new clothes, being curious about where his teacher is traveling this summer. These are subtle changes to be sure, but significant because they confirm to me that we are on our way to a bigger life for all of us." – MS, Scottsdale, AZ

Slowing down the pace of everything so it is easier for Kyle to be successful; this means slowing down life and making time for that which is truly important.

Our relationship is gradually beginning to feel like more of a partnership with us working together in many areas now. A good example would be household chores such as laundry. Rather than focusing on simply getting the task done which was always so difficult for Kyle, the emphasis is on teamwork and creating success for Kyle within our relationship. His confidence level has gone way up and it is so much more enjoyable for both of us.

After all these years, I rarely have to chase Kyle in the grocery store. He is able to reference me, waiting with the cart in the produce section, watching what I am doing, and knowing when it is time to move on. He is also better able to be my “partner” in shopping, participating in ways that were not possible before.

I understand and see Kyle and autism better. Though his co-occurring conditions such as motor control issues present obstacles, I am able to see them apart from his desire to participate and be part of a relationship with me. I have new compassion for what he must work through and overcome.

RDI has helped me understand Kyle better and create situations for learning to be a partner in our relationship. This has led to more interest from Kyle in being engaged with people vs sitting alone and stimming. He actually seems to get bored sometimes these days, which is something we haven't really seen before.

He is making steady progress as we learn to be better and better coaches for him using the RDI Program. RDI has been yet another reminder for me that it is never to late to see growth and development in a person who has autism.

– Many thanks to Gayle Nobel, Phoenix, AZ, co author of It's All About Attitude