Learning Objective – Understanding the core deficits of ASD and RDI® Treatment All individual on the spectrum, regardless of their functioning levels have in common the core deficits of ASD.

Review of Developmental Psychology Literature from:

Daniel Siegel – The Developing Mind A secure attachment relationship assists with the development of critical areas of the brain. The attachment relationship assists with the development of emotional regulation, social relatedness and access to the autobiographical memory. Alan Fogel – Developing Through Relationships / Autism and the Development of the Mind Co-regulation – Social process by which individuals dynamically alter their actions with respect to anticipated actions of others. Barbara Rogoff – Apprenticeship In Thinking Children as see as “apprentices in thinking.' The inter-subjective relationship becomes the source for the child to develop cognitive, social and subjective relationships. Peter Hobson – The Cradle of Thought Inter-subjectivity – critical link in childhood development

Review of The Core Deficits of ASD

Emotional Referencing – Facial Gazing and Referencing for Emotion Social Co-regulation – Creating a smooth social experience by making continual mutual adjustments. Experienced Based Communication – Verbally or non-verbally sharing an experience or feelings with someone else with the intent of reciprocal exchange. Episodic or Autobiographical Memory – Emotional appraisal of an event that we use to form a sense of ourselves and to anticipate future events. Executive Functioning - The ability to reflect on past experiences and to anticipate future scenarios. The ability to make decisions in the present that lead to attainment of desired goals. Dynamic & Flexible Thinking – The ability to adapt, change strategies and alter plans based on changing circumstances.

Video of Core Deficits

Background on RDI® RDI® is the product of an ongoing program of clinical developmental and research that begun in 1996. The goal of RDI® is to remediate the code deficits of Autism Spectrum Disorders. As such, RDI® seeks to provide individuals with ASD the cognitive, emotional, communicative and social tools needed to improve their quality of life.

RDI® is a new treatment modality that seeks to remediate the core deficits of ASD, not just provide compensations. Through focused guided participation in challenging activities , RDI® seeks t6o increase the flexibility and complexity of neural pathways of people with ASD. Neurological research has demonstrated that non-medical cognitive interventions have been successful in changing brain pathways for other disorders like dyslexia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Depression.

Treatment objectives for RDI® were based on the review of research finding in neuro-typical child development as well as the development of children with ASD. A treatment objective is chose only when there is a consensus of research concluding that a deficit area is universal to all people with ASD.

As a family centered treatment approach, RDI invests in preparing parents to become “participant guides,” creating numerous opportunities on a daily basis for treatment intervention.

The family is assisted in setting up safe but challenging experiences that seek to motivate the individual with ASD to leave the safety of their static world and gradually enter into the dynamic world that we all share.

As the individual learns to manage the regularity of patterns, admidst on- going change and novelty, they become more competent in a dynamic system. Before the uncertainty is introduced, the individual participates as a co-regulator with their adult guide and begins to view the dynamic world as something that is less challenging and stressful. Each time an individual with ASD masters a dynamic challenge, the adult guide add a small piece of uncertainty to an already predictable framework, thus allowing the individual to perceive change as less threatening to the static system that they have been attempting to maintain.

Each mastery of success in a dynamic and changing world assists with creating a positive episodic or autobiographical memory of achieving that success and set up a pattern for the individual to be motivated to gradually enter into a more complex and changing world that has previously been something to avoid.

The adult guide, through the assistance of a Certified RDI Provider, learn critical steps in coaching. Some of these critical steps include, slowing down, simplifying and amplifying information that is given so that the individual on the spectrum can more easily understand and another's actions which in turn assists with developing mindfulness.

The adult guide is also taught how to alter their communication style to include more experience based communication. This also assists the individual with processing more “broadband” communication that includes, prosody, facial expressiveness, gestures, context and language.

Every day activities can be modified to enhance their potential to provide a safe, but challenging opportunity for mental discovery. The individual's entire day has the potential to function as a remediation setting.

To assist with implementing the RDI treatment program the individual and their adult mentor are provided with small group education, consultant modeling, regular evaluation and planning sessions, involvement with “veteran” adults as well as regular review of video-taped examples from home of the learning environment.

RDI is highly cost effective, and when compared with one-on-one behavioral interventions, the yearly cost can be 1/5 of other treatment options. Once the adult guides are trained to function as effective mentor's and coaches, the need for support staff becomes minimal. As the adult guide's success increases, so does their sense of competence and empowerment. This also allows for easier generalization into every moment of their daily life.

Video of RDI Treatment Sessions

Current Research on RDI®

Gutstein, Steve. 2005. Preliminary Evaluation of Relationship Development Intervention. Accepted for Publication in The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities.

Gutstein, Steven. Relationship Development Intervention. Developing a Treatment Program to Address the Unique Social and Emotional Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism Spectrum Quarterly, Winter, 2005.

Gutstein, Burgess & Montfort. Evaluation of the Relationship Development Intervention Program. 2006. Submitted for review to The Journal Autism.