RDI

• What does RDI stand for?

  Relationship development intervention
• What is RDI?

  Form of CBT used for ASD.

  Developed by Gutstein & Sheeley to address social & communication difficulties.

  It does this by modifying their perception of other’s thoughts and feelings (address lack of ToM).

  Led by caregivers of child with support of an RDI consultant.
• Objectives of RDI

  Emotional referencing

  Social coordination

  Declarative language

  Flexible thinking

  Rational information processing

  Foresight and hindsight
• Emotional referencing

  Improving the child’s verbal and non-verbal communication skills to help them understand how other people feel, allowing them to share emotional experiences.
• Social coordination

  Controlling one’s own behaviour to fit other peoples emotions. Eg putting on a ‘happy face’ to make someone feel better.
• Declarative language

  Developing verbal & non-verbal communication that allows the child to express interest in something, invite social interaction, share emotions and coordinate their behaviour with others.
• Flexible thinking

  Ability to adapt quickly to changing situations
• Rational information processing

  Putting problems into a wider context and solving them even when they do not have an obvious right or wrong answer.
• Foresight and hindsight

  Putting the two together allows the child to predict future outcomes based on past experience.
• Not a ‘treatment’

  RDI is a significant departure from traditional ASD interventions. It allows for cognitive changes to occur over time that provide the individual with the skills needed to navigate life’s challenges on their own.
• Parent based

  Includes an intensive parent training component designed for both parents involvement from the beginning.

  Real life coaching that takes place in the home setting with the whole family.

  Parents video their interactions for the consultant to assess.

  Children may be placed with other children locally to continue to apply their skills with others.
• Consultant

  Trained consultant works with each family to develop an individualised set of objectives that may include:

  Balancing the family’s schedule.

  Simplifying the home environment and slowing down the pace of their life.
• Gutstein et al (2007)

  16 children following RDI for 2 years.

  15 of the children were being taught in special education classrooms before RDI, only 3 continued to be taught like this afterwards.

  14 children were assessed as being within the autism range before RDI. After RDI only 2 fell into this category still.
• Strengths of RDI

  Supporting evidence

  Reduce pressure on families & increase self-esteem of children - parents describe it as life changing
• Weaknesses of RDI

  Lack of scientific research & peer reviewed research

  Doesn’t address repetitive behaviours

  May create false hope

  Costly

  Run for profit