A Different Kind of Autism Journey: By LorRainne Jones

The following article was originally published and written by RDI Consultant LorRainne Jones

RDI is life-altering and not just for children with autism and their families.

I am a speech-language pathologist who has worked with children with autism for over three decades. As a newly minted therapist fresh out of the university with a bachelors degree in special education and speech pathology, I found myself working at a state institution for children and adults with developmental disabilities.  I remember watching young children with autism spinning aimlessly in the spotless, but cavernous and dreary “day rooms”.  A day room is probably best described as a human “holding pen”.   In the background, one could often hear the chatter of the TV. Soap operas always seemed to be on.  The children were oblivious to the drama of the contemporary human experience playing out on the television.  The human experience also eluded them as they paced and rocked in the day room.   And then I encountered Michael Kreske.

Michael was a young boy with autism. Somehow in this dearth of the human experience was a beautiful child who, although nonverbal, would not be silenced.  His eyes seemed to speak volumes to me.  I never forgot him.  As my life and career progressed, that beautiful face and those eyes would stay with me.  Later, while on the faculty at the University of South Florida, I was fortunate enough to learn a methodology for teaching nonverbal children with autism to acquire spoken language.  I was ecstatic.  I had found a way to help the other “Michaels” that I would see.  I am so sorry, Michael, that I did not have those skills for you. But you have helped me give them a voice.  They are speaking for you.

They learned to speak and, somehow, many learned to embrace and become more skilled at the human experience.  In my book, I wrote about how important it was to establish a relationship with a child as part of the communication experience.  I alluded to the importance of language in the context of life.  I thought I was doing well for the other “Michaels” I encountered.  But I knew that on some level, I was still deluding myself. I think I knew that somehow I, we, as professionals working with children with autism, could do better.  Then, I found RDI.  The final piece of puzzle I have spent my entire career trying to solve.  Michael, it has been a journey, but we got there.  Together we found it.


LorRainne Jones, M.A., CCC-SLP, Ph.D., BCBA   Dr. Jones is a licensed speech- language pathologist with over 30 years experience. She also has a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Michigan. Dr. Jones works with children with autism, PDD, and Asperger syndrome. Her area of expertise is teaching speech to non verbal children with Autism. She has been an RDI Certified Consultant for over five years.  www.kidprotherapy.com 

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