Does anyone here have any info on RDI programs/workshops? I have heard a little bit about their goals (they talk about quality of life alot) but very little talk about how they go about achieving these goals. They do not seem to think much of ABA and the gooddog/baddog rewards, at least from what I've read. The main website is:
http://www.rdiconnect.com/default.asp
Does anyone know what this "program" is all about?
It seems costly, to enroll in a workshop....yeah, what's new, eh? :roll:
Looks like it's based upon the common assumption that relationships between AS and NT don't work purely because of AS deficits. I bet there is no recognition that incompatibility or lack of knowledge can be the cause of relationship problems.
I disagree with Lili about this, Monastic. I think RDI is much better than the other programs of its type I have seen. It is based on mutual respect and fun rather than scripts to memorize and parrot for bits of candy. I like it, but I am not sure what you want to know. I have read two of Steven Gutstein's books although I have not attended any RDI workshops. I am following RDI principles with my daughter and doing some of the activities from one of the books with her, although we are not doing a formal RDI program. The staff at her school are doing the same.
Dolly, have you changed the way you behave or think yourself, or is the only point of the exercise to change your daughter?
I have changed as much as my daughter, if not more, I would say, Lili. The RDI activities are fun to do together. They are not at all coercive. We just play, Lili. Are your children all grown up are or they still young? Did you or do you play with them? I enjoy playing with my daughter. She enjoys these activities. Her school brings in carefully chosen classmates to play games with her like Uno, for example.
I know you bristle at the suggestion that a person with autism or Asperger's Syndrome needs help of any kind, but my daughter needs to learn some things if she is to have a happy life. One of those things is how to play a game with her peers without calling them losers.
Nobody's saying that people with autism or AS shouldn't have help, sometimes a little is needed to lead a happy life in a NT world. I am working with the local department of rehabilitation to improve my interview skills so I can get a steady job and become independent. I did have a delay in my development because of infant epilepsy, but I outgrew the seizures and my intellegence was always above average for my age group. I wasn't diagnosed as having Aspergers until I was an adult because when I was a kid, little was known about the spectrum, and autism then was what would be called low-functioning autism. Once I get the interview skills I need to get a job, I'll be able to become fully independent.
It does seem expensive to attend a two day workshop especially if you have to travel. Then once you attend a workshop would you still need to enroll in an on-going program with a therapist?
Could you try to get some of the recommended books on the hot list. The website does not really say exactly what they do.
What the family said about having their child stop playing by themselves and what to play with them seems important. There might be reasons that the child chooses to play by themselves. I often choose to play by myself because I never got to choose the family tv program or my siblings were not sharing toys. I found that it was just easier to play by myself. I did not understand pretend games. To me, there were just rules and steps to follow about playing something like "princess" that I had learned from my older sister. I would get very angry when other children did not follow the rules or steps that I had been taught to play princess. Of course, no one else knew that I thought this way and no one would play with me. I could play games well with others if someone explained strategies to me and help me through a few times. I did not learn from just watching and I would get angry because I always lost.
Nobody's saying that people with autism or AS shouldn't have help, sometimes a little is needed to lead a happy life in a NT world.
I suppose that's why I asked for any ideas on this subject. As a left-handed child, there was no way I would have been able to tie my shoes the way right-handed people did. My parents tried to teach me their way, and then I learned (from watching and practicing) my own way of getting the job done. If you ever watch me tie my shoes, I do it totally backwards from the way right-handers tie but the finished product looks the same. I suppose I could have decided to never learn to tie my shoes because I didn't want to tie them the right-handed way, instead I learned my own way.
From the information I can gather, it sounds as if the RDI program works because the children enjoy the interaction with their parents, teachers and other children. The article I read stated that the program tries to teach the child how to detect non-verbal cues and also gives the child a bit of understanding about friendships, which sounds pretty good to me, I just don't know how they go about it - I think I'll pick up one of Dr. Steven Gutstein's books, my curiosity is peaked.
I wrote to them to find out a little bit more information on the workshops and to talk a little bit more about my family. They personally emailed me back within the hour with a response & to thank me for writing.
From what I have read, the goal is not to make the autistic child more drone-like, parroting answers without understanding the reasons but teaching (with fun interaction - the only "reward" is the enjoyment of the interaction) the autistic child basics on detecting social cues and knowing how to cope in ever-changing situations. I might have misunderstood the goals but this is how I interpreted them.
I've got to admit, I cannot do this very well and it's one of the reasons I stay to myself. I do not feel sad or depressed that I am so "monastic" as this just seems to work better for me. I don't handle social situations very well as they drain me physically. I can be social for short amounts of time though. I am okay with this lifestyle. It works for me.
I wonder if Steven Gutstein understands that many autistic adults really do enjoy their solitude and are not unhappy to be this way. I can't help but wonder though, if it is the physical hard work and struggles I have interpreting others that makes me prefer solitude over social situations.
If I had went though this program as a child...
Would I see socializing differently, having learned certain basic technics?
Would I actually enjoy a constant stream of social events that seem to take up alot of my oldest (neurotypical) son's life. He loves the busy social schedules, I would be a mental furball after a couple of days of it, myself.
Just how different are we? Is it deficits or real differences we are looking at?
I think you understand the goals of RDI quite well, Monastic. I would recommend this book first, if you can find a copy. I borrowed it from a person who works with my daughter. I found it very interesting.
Steven Gutstein.
Autism/Asperger's: Solving the Relationship Puzzle (Future Horizons, 2001). ISBN: 1885477708 (paperback, 200 pages). [autism,aspergers]
These two books, which can be purchased as a set, if you like, have activities. I am doing some of the activities in the one for young children with my daughter. We started near the beginning and did most of them. If an activity did not work out for some reason, we just skipped it.
Steven E. Gutstein & Rachelle K. Sheely.
Relationship Development Intervention with Children, Adolescents and Adults: Social and Emotional Development Activities for Asperger Syndrome, Autism, PDD and NLD (Jessica Kingsley, 2002). ISBN: 1843107171 (paperback, 425 pages). [autism,aspergers,pdd,social,se]
Steven E. Gutstein & Rachelle K. Sheely.
Relationship Development Intervention with Young Children: Social and Emotional Development Activities for Asperger Syndrome, Autism, PDD and NLD (Jessica Kingsley Pub, 2002). ISBN: 1843107147 (paperback, 256 pages). [aspergers,autism,social,pdd,se]
That really sounds interesting. As I see, that my son tends to parroting :? and he has big problems with playing/interacting (like getting angry when losing or saying very rude things about ppl when interacting), it would be nice finding something that helped him and me to learn better social skills.
Well, how could he learn good social skills from me, as long as I am not very good at it? :cry: So this is a problem I give on to my kids and I really dislike this thought.
Bad thing this book is only in English and quite new so I can't get it used.
Sibylle
You are right, Sibylle, "RDI with Young Children" does not seem to be available as a used book and the shipping charges to Germany from the US would probably be nearly as expensive as the book. I wonder if it would be available in a library.
I see a difference between teaching a child social skills and forcing it to have social contacts. I see the neccessity (? right word? right spelling?) to teach someone how to interact, for up to a certain amount we have to have contacts to other people, but there is no need to interact more if one does not want to.
I can see that my son wishes to have friends (he invites some of his classmates regularly, but they don't come for visit or invite him to their home) but has difficulties to built up relations. So if he really wants to establish a real friendship, he needs more social skills and I want to give him the opportunity. Only when seeing what it is like to have a friend and to socialize he can decide to do so or to leave it. I know for myself how depressing it is if one tries to socialize and fail every attempt. It took me most time of my childhood to learn some social skills on my own and it was a hard and not very happy time. So if I can help my son understanding things, why should that be bad?
This might not be the need of every child, but the system we live in requires a minimum of social skills that we should provide our kids with. And that's even when people accept that someone has AS. Even if you don't intend to hurt someones feelings and he or she knows, it might hurt if one is too direct in speech and even if I can't make this world a much better place for everyone, I don't want to make it worse for innocent people.
When I was a teenager I was not allowed to go to parties and I longed for (because everybody else went and I just did not want to be an outcast anymore). When I was older then I could experience how it is and for a few times it was ok, but then I did not have the need anymore to go to every party I could. But it is a nice feeling to know that I can go to parties if I want to (but in fact it tires me quite a lot, even when I enjoy it sometimes).
Sibylle