RDIconnect® Blog
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Parents: Take Care of Yourself First
Self care is important for those caring for family members with autism.
Self-Regulation and RDI®
Self-regulation is important not only for your child, but for you, too! The following tips can help adults and children self regulate.
How to Help Your Child Reach His Potential
When helping your child to reach potential – you expect him to flourish and have a wonderful life. You expect him to be successful, in his way. Not in a way you’ve determined for him. When you give your child this gift of true acceptance, he will show you his potential.
Keeping Your Marriage Strong
This valentine’s day, make a commitment to put your marriage first.
Treating Your Autistic Child with Respect
How to Treat Your Autistic Child Respectfully and Create a Better Family Life
High Expectations
Dr. Gutstein talks about the importance of placing high expectations on our children in order to see growth.
When it’s OK, to Say NO
There are wonderful (autism-trained) professionals out there, who will provide expertise and consider what you have to say too – those are the professionals who you should surround yourself with.
The Importance of Non-Verbal Cues in Communication
Dr. Rachelle Sheely discusses the importance of non-verbal cues in the way we understand communication.
Why Failure Helps Children to Become Independent
In truth, doesn’t the lack of practice at bouncing back from failure (in children on the autism spectrum) actually increase emotional fragility and decrease resilience?
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.
Are Autistic Individuals Disabled or Brilliant?
We focus so much on the ‘box’ or a ‘certain way of being’ that we look at everything else (autistic) as ‘abnormal.’
An Interview with Kamini Lakhani by Parenting Autism India
“Interested Professionals and Parents can become RDI® Consultants in India itself. They need not travel to the US any more.”
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.
Tips for Creating Positive Peer Interactions
Help your child with autism build positive peer interactions!
Thinking About Eye Contact
Here are some questions to ask yourself about your child’s use of eye contact.
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.
After the Autism Diagnosis
What happens next?
What Does Presuming Competence Really Mean?
Are you going to be the parent who believes in his/her child? Are you going to presume competence?
Spreading the News of RDI® in Spanish!
Claudia Perez Andreessen, the director of professional training in Mexico, is continuing to spread the news of RDI® in Spanish throughout Latin America!
Typical Development and the Infant Divergence
Dr. Rachelle Sheely talks about what research into typical development has taught us about autism.
The Importance of Declarative Language
Mindfully using declarative language for better communication!
Celebrating Fathers Around the World
One of the most common concerns we hear from mothers of special needs children…
Helping Your Child Pursue Independence
Your child has immense capacity for absorbing information. But he doesn’t know how to use it or make sense of it. Sensory sensitivities make things even more difficult. But I have good news for you. You can connect the dots for your child. You can help him make sense of the world. You, the parent, have an important role to play.
Hope for Children of ALL Ages
Is there a time when treatment for autism is no longer viable?
The Many Meanings of “NO”
What are they really trying to tell you when they say “no”?
Slowing Down in Autism Treatment
You have permission to slow down!
How this Mother Built an Incredible Bond With Her Child and Discovered His Potential
Discover your inner truths as a mother.
Increasing Dynamic Intelligence for Growth
Giving our children the opportunity for growth
Dynamic Intelligence in Autism Treatment
How does Dynamic Intelligence help in treating autism?
Episodic Memory Part 3
We can help our children become on-line problem solvers by including them in our own problem solving opportunities day-to-day, when there is no crisis around events that are not emotionally charged.
Are You an Autism Parent Experiencing Caregiver Burnout?
Slowing down gives you a chance to be mindful and to let go of the chaos and hectic lifestyle of most autism therapies.
Co-Regulation: An Example
Keep practicing… at home, at the shopping mall, the beachfront…. wherever we are!
To Make Your Child With Autism Thrive, You Must Do This First
To every mother who wants to wants to live a happier and healthier life – it’s never too late.
Mysterious Things People with Autism Do – and Possible Reasons Why
Kids with autism have a unique way of thinking about the world that can be both fascinating and baffling.
Episodic Memory Part 2
We try so hard to get information from autistic children. Sometimes we get it, sometimes we don’t, and even when we do get an answer to our question, we are not getting at what we truly want to know. Don’t we instead want to know how the child felt throughout the day? What made the child smile or laugh? About connections the child shared with their friends? We want more than a one word answer, but don’t know how to get it. One thing is clear though: imperative questions and statements do not get at the heart of what we all use memories to do: share who we are!
RDI® Made My Family a Real Team
RDI brought this family back together.
Episodic Memory Part 1
Memory is important for everyone in terms of learning, growing and managing more complex social and emotional situations in life.
We use our memories to build and strengthen relationships, to reflect on what we’ve done in order to make plans for the future, and to problem solve based on past experiences.
If we didn’t have memories to draw from, we would hardly move forward in life. Developing meaningful memories is a critical skill for all people including children with autism.
What Makes Individuals with Autism Feel Stressed?
Why is your child acting out? Is it stress?
Slowly Adding Challenge
Regulatory patterns form the basis of what we try to establish with the work that we do with our families. But it is not about routinely instructing or telling the child what to do where this baseline pattern is concerned. There are many elements that need to be factored in while a family attempts to establish a pattern.
Does Your Child’s Stimming Worry You?
Stimming is not the enemy. The enemy is how we view it.
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...
Mental Exercises to Grow Dynamic Intelligence
Dynamic Intelligence is the most sophisticated part of our neural and mental ‘operating system’.
Why It’s Time to Stop Teaching ‘Right and Wrong’ to Your Child
This guest blog post was originally published on the saiconnections blog page. You can read the original here. Three friends show up at your door to surprise you. It’s dinner time. You haven’t...