Dr. Rachelle Sheely discusses the importance of non-verbal cues in the way we understand communication.
Rachelle’s Corner
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Dr. Rachelle Sheely Speaks About Her Journey towards RDI®
Sometimes in our lives we have this feeling like, “that’s what I’m supposed to be doing!” And that’s the way I felt about RDI.
Healing for the Whole Family
Join Dr. Rachelle Sheely in a video interview discussing how RDI brings healing and encouragement for the whole family.
Dr. Sheely Discusses the RDA: The Initial RDI® Assessment
Learn more about the RDA here.
Sense of Self: The Most Important Part of Autism Remediation
Dr. Rachelle Sheely talks about the importance of children with autism developing a sense of self.
Typical Development and the Infant Divergence
Dr. Rachelle Sheely talks about what research into typical development has taught us about autism.
Slowing Down to Speed Up
A first go round for families beginning RDI® is that they will need to slow down to speed up. Slowing down leads to confidence – for both parents and their children.
Gaze Aversion and Autism
Do you know where this edge of competence is for your child? Many factors can be combined to smooth the path that will support your ability to lead and your child’s desire to take on his own learning. In RDI® we are always looking for a way to help children realize the importance of using their own minds, not those of others to solve problems.
Hallmark Moments
Our lives are fast and we all take for granted the things we receive from others. Taking a moment to remember these things and to let people know not only feels good for the person who receives, it makes for a really good day to the person remembering.
A Book Review: Constructing Language
Dr. Sheely reviews “Constructing a Language: a Usage-Based Theory of Language Acquisition” by M. Tomasello.
Ask Dr. Sheely
What does working with a consultant look like and how much would it cost?
Day Trips: Are We There Yet?
Sometimes the best thing about an extended vacation is collapsing in your own bed when it’s over. Jam-packed as many vacations are, the treadmill on which we find ourselves when we are away from home can exhaust the most energetic of parents and tire the most resilient of children. Staying in one place and exploring a surrounding area with a series of day trips can be fun; a restful pace with lots of laughter thrown in.
How Having a Summer Job Will Benefit Your Children
Play in early developmental is the work of childhood, but work itself, is also the work of growing up.
A Different Kind of Summer
This summer plan to slow down your routine and with your great kid…
Interview with A Renaissance Man
In this video, Dr. Sheely interviews an RDI® student about how RDI® has helped him to pursue a wide range of hobbies like cooking, choir, knitting, and poetry.
Advocacy and RDI: Scaffolding for Independence
As consultants, we are working ourselves out of a job, not into one.
A Different Easter
Spring not only comes in the temporal world but to the world of autism as well.
Humor as Communication
Jokes can be tricky, especially for a person on the spectrum.
There Are No Shortcuts
There are no shortcuts for guiding our children. Like you, we wish there were. But the functions and payoff of communication are well worth the effort and time they require.
The Most Important Thing
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” – P. Drucker
The First Day of Autumn
There is a poetry to autumn that many of us addicted to screen time have ceased to enjoy.
Real RDI® Success Story – Prince George County Public Schools
Continuing our series on education as the school year begins, we focus on RDI™ in the Prince George’s County Public Schools
Gaining Independence
Read one young autistic man’s speech about how he found independence in his life and how RDI® helped.
The Importance of Consultants
An important feature of RDI® is the consultant training program. However, this was not in place in the beginning and families who wanted to learn to guide their children would come to Houston, overnight videos back and forth and often fly in to our offices for training. A question Dr. Gutstein and I asked early on was whether RDI® could be replicated through other professionals with the same success we were having. Following is a young boy’s recounting of his family’s work with their consultant, Dema Stout. As you watch this, you will see that the answer to our question was “yes.”
What Kind of Guide Are You? Part 5
Whenever we guide, we address the goal beneath the goal.
What Kind of Guide Are You? Part 4
While guiding does not negate the importance of instruction, it recognizes that good guiding is more than covering content.
What Kind of Guide Are You? Part 3
To continue our series on guiding, one of our consultants shares the difference between a good and a bad guide she has had in her life.
What Kind of Guide are You? Part 2
Guiding is a side by side ‘let’s take this journey together’ approach…
Why Failure and Why Creativity
To end our series on the importance of failure in the development of creativity, Dr. Rachelle Sheely talks about how RDI facilitates an environment for this.
When Failure Leads to Curiosity, part II
Lev Vygotsky, the famous Soviet psychologist, observed and wrote authoritatively about the development of higher cognitive functions in children. While he died (1934) long before the public...
When Failure Leads to Curiosity
Uncertainty can make us anxious. But for RDI families of children on the spectrum, the use of uncertainty is fundamental for good guiding. Find out why.
The Importance of Developmental Approaches to Autism
Dr. Sheely sits down for a chat with autism expert, Dr Steven Shore.