Starting RDI Therapy
Spring 2004 — Hannah is starting to connect.
It’s been one month since the Lord led us to research and implement a new therapy for Hannah, and we’re seeing exciting results. Thought you might like an update.
The new therapy is called “Relationship Development Intervention” (RDI). The creators studied the social and emotional development that a typical baby goes through as she grows during the first few years; i.e., how she forms emotional and social connections with those around her (connections that most autistic children lack). They then categorized that development into six levels, with four stages within each level. Finally, they came up with activities to encourage and help an autistic child make progress in each level and stage. We’ve started using some of the activities, and Hannah is making a lot more eye contact (and not just eye contact; she’s actually referencing our faces for information and shared emotions!) and interacting more with all of us.
RDI is almost the complementary antithesis of ABA (the therapy we started with a year and a half ago). It’s almost a right-brain vs. left-brain comparison. ABA is structured with concrete answers; responses are either right or wrong. RDI is fluid with variations and surprises that come in typical personal interactions. We’re excited how God brought RDI into our lives at just the right time: when Hannah and I were both beginning to tire of the rigid routine in our ABA sessions and she was having trouble grasping the next skills on the list. We needed a change, and RDI brought a huge change along with helpful developmental progress. We have no plans to abandon ABA; we think RDI will be a great complement to it and help us keep Hannah’s therapy well-balanced.
We also praise God for how He put our family together. As you know, we have four daughters. The second oldest is a lot like me in temperament: definitely left-brained, systematic, organized, concrete thinking. She (at age 11) is a natural in the ABA therapy. Our oldest daughter is a lot like my husband in temperament: definitely right-brained, global thinking, problem-solving, sees all the options, fluid thinking. She (at age 13) is a natural at the RDI therapy, and she’s been helping me do the activities everyday. I had to laugh when I read the first few activities in the book, because I kept having flash-backs to times when my husband or our oldest daughter had implemented those concepts during their interactions with Hannah throughout the last year, just from their own imaginations. Our third daughter, who shares a room with Hannah, is almost a mix of the two. She’s great at involving Hannah in play and then weaving a little learning into the play.
Thanks again for all your prayers for Hannah and us. The Lord is faithful as we continue on this journey.
If any of you would like more information on RDI, you can visit the Web site www.rdiconnect.com.
