In RDI, we really believe in parents and we also believe that there is a developmental structure inherent in the way children are raised worldwide. And that just because that’s difficult for parents who have a child on the spectrum, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
When the foundations of Dynamic Intelligence are set in place, the child begins to use their mind as a very powerful tool.
This idea of independence is one that we sometimes skirt because we get caught up in the daily routine of the things that we’re teaching or the things that we’re doing, or I think we get caught up in avoiding it because we worry about it so much. We’re afraid to face it.
One of the critical roles of being a parent is to be a mind guide. We know that. And if you have a child with autism, you can’t do it until we help you to develop this and to help the child activate that growth, so you can begin to feel comfortable with it to start orienting more.
One of the things at the Pan African Congress For Autism that impressed me and really didn’t surprise me was that parents and professionals alike had the same concern when they were thinking about the individuals that they deal with who were on the spectrum and their families.
Traditional static intelligence is necessary, but it’s not sufficient to function in our modern world, which is complex and dynamic in nature.
I think the important thing for anybody who is either giving the diagnosis or working with a newly diagnosed family is to help parents know that there’s a beginning point, and that that beginning point is almost always the same
We need to teach children to reflect and you know, that’s so much a part of our program to be able to bookmark something, maybe something that doesn’t work or maybe something that does work. We have a whole lot of work on that.
Dr. Sheely discusses the value of parents in developing a child’s sense of self.
Dr. Gutstein breaks down the complexities of Theory of Mind.
