RDIconnect® Blog
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Six Areas of Dynamic Intelligence
The development of Dynamic Intelligence is crucial to the ability to have a quality of life.
Improving Parent/Child Communication with Autism
As a parent, we experience much joy when our autistic child gains the ability to answer static questions, but what does it look like for our child to communicate in a much deeper sense, and how do we help them improve?
RDI Annual Conference 2020
**Recordings will be available to all attendees for 6 months after the end of the Annual Conference** Early Bird Pricing ends Sunday! We are excited to announce that this year’s Annual...
Emotion Sharing Activities
Activities that can help you and your autistic child build a connection with one another, share emotion and promote social engagement.
Online Schooling When Your Child has Autism
Fall has arrived, and your child’s school has gone to online education due to the pandemic. You are not trained as a teacher. You have no idea how to manage online schooling for your child who has autism. What should the schooling focus be? How do you begin to adjust your life to this?
Scaffolding Towards Independence
Looking for an effective developmental model that will help your child with autism reach their potential? Scaffolding Towards Independence Scaffolding allows the student to gain independence by...
What is Executive Functioning and How Autism Affects It
Executive functioning is critical to our independence as an adult, and most of us are not aware that we possess it. It is comprised of cognitive and mental abilities that help us regulate, control, and manage our thoughts and actions and can be a marked challenge for people with autism.
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.
Obstacle to the Guiding Relationship
Whether you are new to the RDI® Model or have been around for some time, at some point you will face challenges and obstacles in the process of Guiding your child with autism. Learn more by watching...
Promoting Positive Behavior in our Autism Treatments
Problem behavior, typically thought of as “ASD Behavior”, is both voluntary and involuntary action that autistic children resort to as a coping mechanism in their environment. Positive behavior, signs that your child with ASD listens, watches, responds, and eagerly wants to be a part of the learning and growth process is what we encourage in our treatment. Our program is not one of behavior modification, nor are we a textbook program that treats behavior in autism based on age-related standards. We treat behavior as information.
Mindful Communication
Recommendations for developing mindful, experience-sharing communicationChanging the approach to the way you interact with your child can make all the difference in his or her mental...
What is My Role as a Parent in Autism Treatment?
Do you look at your therapist or consultant as the authority that possesses the main role in your child’s autism treatment? You are the one that holds the dreams for your child’s development in life, and you are also the one that can best provide home-based opportunities for your child’s mental and self-growth.
RDI At Home: Playing Catch with Dad
A dad and his little girl are playing catch, she moves from a simple back and forth play routine into a different kind of play as she introduces a request for fought and tumble.Watch...
Tips for Virtual RDI® Consulting
Are you working remotely with your child’s autism specialist or consultant? We have some tips to help you get the most out of each session!
RDI At Home: Stacking Cups
It’s Thursday—like no Thursday we’ve ever known. Parents who are mindful guides help children manage difficult times. This is a video that shares the problems a mother encounters as her...
RDI At Home: A Reciprocal Pattern
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...
RDI At Home: Making Cookies
The following was submitted by an RDI Parent"This is Mom and Zayd...To help manage the stress of the pandemic we have been doing many daily mundane activities with RDI in mind.This one...
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...
RDI At Home: Variations on the Game of War
It’s Monday—like no Monday we’ve ever known.In response to quarantine and isolation, RDI families and consultants are sharing videos of themselves working and playing with their...
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...
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...
RDI At Home: Action for Action
It’s Thursday—like no Thursday we’ve ever known.This video demonstrates very clearly how a basic idea that remains the same can be changed ever so slightly as it begins to explore larger...
Covid 19 Off the Rails: The Emotional Roller Coaster
Dr. Sarah Wayland and Kat Lee talk about the difficulties faced by our kids in the days of COVID and how we can help them – and the entire family – to regulate.
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...
How to Measure Success in Your Child’s Autism Therapy
Have you ever asked yourself if your child’s autism therapy is working? You aren’t alone in your thoughts.
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 “This...
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....
Mohit The Artist
In every generation an artist comes along whose expression pushes the evolutionary aesthetic curve. Meet Mohit and watch Mohit paint. His fascination with internal landscapes expresses a powerful...
A Brother Talks About Flourishing With A Sister Who Has Autism
A common worry of parents who have children on the spectrum is whether autism might negatively impact their other child. Last Friday I had the opportunity to interview the brother of a young woman...
RDI At Home: An Apple a Day
It’s Tuesday—like no Tuesday we’ve ever known. As you watch this video, pay close attention to the guiding relationship between this mother and her son. It is a sweet interaction that is very...
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: Daily Rhythm
It’s Monday—like no Monday we’ve ever known. A Homeschool RDI Mom share her valuable wisdom and invites you to turn this period of isolation into an opportunity: Greetings from an RDI mom in Texas!...
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 guiding...
Caring For Children And Teens With Special Needs During A Global Pandemic
Every now and then I come across a message so timely, an interview so relevant that I find myself wanting it to arrive in your inbox before I’ve even sent it. Dr. Sarah Wayland, RDI parent...
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: Remediate Core Deficits of Autism
It’s Tuesday—like no Tuesday we’ve ever known. As you watch this video you may find yourself confused. (I did) What are they doing, I kept asking myself. And, when they finished there was magic....
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: Parenting in a Challenging Time
It’s Sunday—like no Sunday we’ve ever known. Maisie and Pete: This short description of steps to maintain and healthy lifestyle while our children are home all day will quickly pinpoint important...
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: Nonverbal Communication with Teddy Bear
It’s Wednesday—like no Wednesday we’ve ever known. I have watched this wonderful video many times and I am still laughing. Dr. Dhanashri and her son are communicating without words. Dr. Dhanashri...
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...