Relationship Development Intervention

Relationship Development Intervention®

Getting to the

heart

of autism

What is Relationship Development Intervention®?

Autism is NOT a behavioral disorder and should not be treated as such. Developing Minds respects and understands that autism is a neuropsychological disorder that affects both an individual’s brain functioning and the development of a healthy sense of self.

Rather than accepting the idea that the normal pathway of development cannot be restored and thereby developing skills to compensate, Relationship Development Intervention® (RDI®) works to restore the pathway of typical development allowing individuals with ASD the same opportunity to develop as any human into resilient, well-balanced, and fulfilled individuals. One cannot develop a strong, healthy sense of self based on the accumulation of skills or by simply displaying compliant behavior.

Deeper Understanding

Humans develop well-functioning, healthy brains through their exposure to and active participation in meaningful, growth-promoting experiences. This natural process begins in infancy and relies on both an actively-seeking parent and an actively-seeking child.

If either part of this equation breaks down, the entire process of development is disrupted leading to abnormal brain development. This early disruption is one of the most defining features of autism Growth-Promoting Parents met with Growth-Avoiding Child!

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Relationship Development Intervention® is paving the way

Relationship Development Intervention® is a parent-led, developmental approach to treatment, empowering parents to get back in the driver's seat. Our team works to understand the unique way in which autism impacts each individual and family while offering highly individualized, comprehensive treatment and support. The RDI® curriculum goals are developmentally sequenced and work to restore the natural pathway of development, emphasizing healthy brain and self-development through the parent-child relationship. Parents become the experts.

Our Program Development is Driven by Research.

Baker, Messinger, Lyons & Grantz concluded that the early social impairments of ASD infants, interfere with sensitive parental caregiving, resulting in significant consequences for development by making it difficult for parents to provide effective guidance.

Baker, Messinger, Lyons & Grantz (2010)

Watson and colleagues concluded that, “ASD infants offer their parents, who are in need of both responses and prompts from their infants, fewer opportunities for interaction.”

Watson et al. (2013)

Gliga and colleagues concluded that the ASD infant’s limited responsiveness, impairs parent responsiveness, specifically their efforts to offer the right amount & quality of input.

Gliga et al. (2014)

Shizawa & co-workers describe the dilemma faced by mothers of future ASD infants in the following way, “… mothers of infants with ASD are forced to spend considerable energy just obtaining their child’s attention, compared to mothers of [typically-developing] infants who, assured of the infant’s self-regulated interest, can focus on enhancing their joint engagements.”

Shizawa et al. (2013)

Hudry and colleagues concluded that, because ASD infants provide their parents with few leads to follow and provide weak and poorly timed signals that are easily missed, their parents are placed in a position where they must attempt to, “… engage a relatively passive child by directing his/her behavior and compensating for his/her limited contributions.”

Hudry et al. (2014)