Building the Foundations of Mental Apprentice (and what that means!) 

What does a potential Mental Apprentice need in order to contribute to and benefit from the MindGuiding relationship? 

What is the MindGuiding relationship?

The ultimate goal of the MindGuiding relationship is to help the child function in a complex, dynamic world. 

And in order to benefit from the MindGuiding relationship the child (apprentice) needs to have formed the following foundations: 

• Engagement Motivation
• Growth-Seeking Mindset
• Personal agency
• Experiential Learning
• Interpersonal Agency

Each of these foundations are developed naturally in the parent/child relationship around the 2nd year of a child’s life. This leads to the development of the MindGuiding relationship that typically we start to see around the third year of a child’s life.

The Guiding Relationship Does Not Naturally Develop in Autistic Children

However, with a child, or infant, who goes on to be diagnosed with autism there is a disruption in the parent/child relationship which causes the breakdown of these foundations and that leads to a breakdown of the Guiding Relationship itself.

The great news is that we are able to continue to influence the development of the mind, even with this disruption, it just requires us to understand and become mindful in our parenting (hence the term, MindGuiding!)

Looking for Support?

If you are looking for more information about RDIconnect and how the RDI® program can help to rebuild the relationship between your child and help your entire family, consider becoming a member of our Online Learning Community for Parents. You’ll connect with and get support from other parents, as well as RDI® professionals and adults on the spectrum. Find out more about the community today.

Click to enlarge infographic.