Fwd: Autism and RDI: The Irish experience

June 6, 2012

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Issue 35

June 6, 2012

B r a i n B y t e s

Anxiety in Autistic Youth

Search for Recessive Mutations Reveals

Autism Genes

The Guilty Brain

Quick Links

RDIconnect Website

Find an RDI Consultant

RDI Certification for professionals

"Ever see a little kid walking around talking to himself?

I'm the same way."

-Chubby Checker

There comes a time when we stop talking aloud to ourselves. As you walk with your child today, share your mind - those thoughts you have that are triggered by things you see along the way.

Where in the World is Aunt Martha?

She is in the UNITED KINGDOM with

Certified Consultant,

Sharon Bradbrook-Armit

In Their Own Words

Click on these links to see what RDI consultants are doing!

Amy Cameron

Breathing Underwater Podcast

Kathy Darrow

Kathy discusses RDI in an interview on Autism One Radio

Hudkins

'The RDI Mom' Blog

Isaac

Understanding Autism Podcast - Broadcast live on the 2nd Monday and 2nd Monday of every month

Zoe

'Food for Thought' Blog

Find Us

The RDI Book

In English and Spanish!

Available through Amazon or Click here.

Good News...Amazon is now shipping the RDI Book Internationally.

Dear Friend

This week, Steve shares more on the foundations of the Family Consultation Program and we will hear a seasoned professional tell how encountering RDI changed his view of autism.

~ le Sheely, PhD

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The following article is the copy-write protected material written for the RDI Family Consultation Program (FCP). Please do not reprint without proper reference to the author and RDIconnect.

A Brief Introduction to Guiding

E. Gutstein Ph.D.

Parents have many different responsibilities and take on many roles with their children. They provide for their safety and physical health. They protect and keep them

RDI Director, Dr. Gutstein

safe. They teach them how to take care of themselves and do the tasks of daily life. They have fun together. They provide them with rules and discipline but also with lots of love. These are the parenting activities we are most familiar with. They are the easiest for us to see.

But there is much more going on underneath the surface. Over the last 30 years, developmental psychologists have discovered that people are not born with Dynamic Intelligence. While some people are born with more potential to acquire Dynamic Intelligence than others, even those with the highest potential will not develop Dynamic Intelligence unless the right opportunities are made available to them.

While all of the above parenting functions are important, there is one parenting activity, occurring largely under the surface and unique to human beings that is performed in every culture on earth and that appears critical for Dynamic development. Through the "Guiding" process, parents and other important family members become the primary architects of their children's mental and neural development.

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Autism - Looking Beyond Surface Issues

by Sweeney

The following was first published in October 2011 for Irish Autism Action.

I have worked in the field of Autism for 18 years, predominantly in the UK, and I have used many of the treatment approaches used today in Ireland. I still continue to use elements of these approaches in my work. RDI Certified Consultant, Sweeny

However three years ago, I re-trained in the USA in a program (RDI) that understands and treats Autism from a developmental and cognitive perspective, and this has dramatically changed how I now view Autism.

I do not claim to have a quick fix or "bag of tricks", nor should any other professionals in this area. But...after all my years working with both adults and children with mild to severe autism, I am a strong believer in the need to look deeper when planning treatment for children and adults on the spectrum.

Deficits or Challenges?

We have known for some time that children and adults diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum by definition are struggling in many areas: social understanding, flexible thinking, communication and the list can go on depending on the specific needs of the child. Lorna Wing's "Triad of Impairments" has informed and guided diagnosticians and diagnostic tools for decades now.

When we view Autism through the lens of a "deficit model", we see these "impairments" as immoveable objects that are almost part of the child's personality. We see unusual behavior and explain it by saying things like "he does this because of his Autism", or "people with Autism don't like doing this". This might be true when we view these problems based upon observing behavior alone, but it does not begin to explain to us why such problems exist in the first place for the child. This, I believe, is where the challenge lies.

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