RDI® activities can be as small as moving items from one place to another together, or can be bigger – like playing with toys or a game, sports, or outdoor activities. The most important thing to remember is to keep your goal in mind! If you don’t remember or aren’t clear on your goal, don’t be afraid to ask your consultant. They are here to help!
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Making the Fourth of July Fun for Everyone!
July 4th can be a difficult holiday for anyone with sensory struggles, especially noise sensitivities. The fireworks, the crowds, the noise, the change in routine can all trigger an autistic child, teen or adult and can cause anxiety, stress or meltdowns. But there are ways that you can help your child or loved one minimize their stress!
Benefits of Free Time for Kids
Your child learns and develops from planned activities, but with a balance of free time, space is given for your child to naturally develop the motivation to learn.
Emotion Sharing Activities
Activities that can help you and your autistic child build a connection with one another, share emotion and promote social engagement.
RDIConnect® Guiding Engagements
Mindful Guiding is not conducted in a spontaneous, seat-of manner. Rather, it takes place during guiding engagements.
Activities for Autistic Children
You can use your imagination as the parent guide and erase any thoughts or burdens you may have perceived as limitations. There are countless activities you can plan that help reach the goals and dreams that you have for your child’s mental growth and development.
RDI®️️ At Home: Playing Catch with Dad
This video is an example of how RDI®️️ can be used at home, through everyday activities.
RDI®️️ At Home: Stacking Cups
The growth of self, cognitive development and emotional regulation do not develop if a child does not value and accept the parent’s guidance.
RDI®️️ In Response to Quarantine and Isolation
It’s Wednesday—like no Wednesday we’ve ever known. Another parent gives insight into daily life and the building of her guiding relationship with her son. This is what to look for—the huge...
RDI®️️ At Home: Making Cookies
Watch as this mom and her son use RDI®️️ as they make chocolate chip cookies.
RDI®️️ At Home: Setting Up the Grill
It’s Tuesday—like no Tuesday we’ve ever known. Today’s video spotlights perseverance, thinking and resilience. Watch this child figure out how to put a grill together. A first look suggests that the...
RDI®️️ At Home: Variations on the Game of War
In response to quarantine and isolation, RDI®️️ families and consultants are sharing videos of themselves working and playing with their children.
RDI®️️ At Home: Master Chef
It’s Saturday—like no Saturday we’ve ever known. Watch this Masterchef juggle more than one dish at a time. His Consultant Kamini Lakhani, RDI®️️ Trainer for India, writes:We discovered Vishal’s...
RDI®️️ At Home: Monster Walk
It’s Friday—like no Friday we’ve ever known. Feeling cooped up, lacking energy, need to exercise? Grab a child and do the Monster Walk. I won’t ruin it with too many details but do take note of...
RDI®️️ At Home: Sharing Perspectives/Smelling Together
It’s Monday—like no Monday we’ve ever known. There are some very obvious differences in capabilities when a child has autism. Most striking is the inability to understand the perspective of another...
RDI®️️ At Home: Build a Castle
RDI®️️ is about thinking and cognitive development. If I ask you “What is your idea?” you may struggle to come up with something or even ask, “about?". But, in a different way what if I tell you...
RDI®️️ At Home: Making Juice
Parents often ask for ways to work on referencing facial expression tone of voice and body language because their child might have language but is missing these important elements for conversation....
RDI®️️At Home: Drawing with Mom
It’s Tuesday—like no Tuesday we’ve ever known. A lovely, low-key example of using an every day experience to work on perspective taking. "The children are all home- due to the lock down."Look at how...
RDI®️️ At Home: Cutting Veggies – Set Pattern to Achieve Joint Coordination
It’s Sunday—like no Sunday we’ve ever known. Dr. Dhanashri, a consultant from India shows the power of an every day regulatory pattern as a backdrop for growing a child’s mind. Notice the attention...
RDI®️️ At Home: Setting the Table
It’s Saturday—like no Saturday we’ve ever known. A principle of RDI®️️ is that parents of children on the spectrum know how to guide their children—RDI®️️ simply helps them develop the desire for...
RDI®️️ At Home: Glove Experiment
It’s Wednesday—like no Wednesday we’ve ever known. Get ready to hold your breath. This mother, an expert guide, shares a simple science experience with every day kitchen ingredients. I found myself...
RDI®️️ At Home: Make a Funny Face
It’s Monday—like no Monday we’ve ever known. As you watch this, video you will be struck by its simplicity and far reaching impact on a young child’s ability to share experiences and enjoy non...
RDI®️️ At Home: Pouring Water
It’s Saturday—like no Saturday we’ve ever known. In this lovely little video you will see a mother and her son enjoying a simple activity of pouring water. Pay attention to the child’s attention. He...
RDI®️️ At Home: Gardening as a Pastime
It’s Sunday—like no Sunday we’ve ever known. This is a bird’s eye view of the Guiding Relationship between a grandfather and grandson. Note the child’s observation of his grandfather and his...
RDI®️️ At Home: Working as a Team
It’s Saturday—like no Saturday we’ve ever known. Like many of you I am experiencing the cabin fever associated with quarantine, curfews and isolation. An RDI®️️ Consultant in Training, Sheila He...
RDI®️️ At Home: Change
It’s Friday—like no Friday we’ve ever known. Every now and again we are privileged to observe a rare and beautiful talent. This video, by a very creative young lady, describes the importance of...
RDI At Home: Virtual Hike
It’s Wednesday—like no Wednesday we’ve ever known. Taking the perspective of another person is a difficult milestone for our children. Because of the current self quarantine and social distancing,...
RDI At Home: Cleaning Up Blocks
It’s Tuesday, like no Tuesday we’ve every known. This little activity lends itself to variations that may come to you only as you try it out. Looking for more? We are throwing open our doors, we are...
RDI At Home: Coordinated Dinner
It’s Monday—like no Monday we’ve ever known. You are home and it’s time for dinner. Turn it into an RDI moment with Nick and his mom. Watch this duo coordinate their actions to work on a casserole....
RDI At Home: Pizza Fridays
It’s Friday, like no Friday we’ve ever known. Time for Pizza! You will find yourself smiling as this father and son try to figure out what each other wants to put on the pizza. Notice the pacing and...
RDI At Home: Planting Seeds
It’s Thursday—like no Thursday we’ve ever known. Join Kathy Darrow and plan for a summer harvest. If you don’t have seed packets readily available, cut open fruit or vegetables from the refrigerator...
RDI At Home: Dance! Dance! Dance!
It’s Wednesday—like no Wednesday we’ve every known. We are working from home. We are playing as we work. This is a video of Charlee at her dance recital. It’s quite beautiful. We are spotlighting...
RDI®: Treating Autism through Everyday activities
Here are some simple ways to incorporate RDI into everyday life right now!
Engagement Activities to Guide Your Teenager
Unlike many other autism treatments available today, we believe that there is no age limit to the brain's ability to continue changing! We see a many families come into the program with teenagers...
The Cook’s Assistant
Nick is going through a stubborn teenager phrase. He only wants to do what he wants to do. When invited to join me in some form of interaction, he makes the sign for ‘finished’ quicker than you can say, “let’s…..”
Proactive Pausing
Learning to pause gives our children the time to think of what to do, instead of being told what to do.
Laughing with RDI
Give a boy a water pistol and he knows exactly what to do with it! Not so with my Nick.
Holiday Gift Ideas and Activities for You and Your Autistic Child
Gift ideas for autistic children from Dr. Rachelle Sheely, founder of RDI®. And other creative activities to do with your child to celebrate the season!
68 Activities to Do with Your Child
Looking for RDI activities? Look no further!