The purpose of this page is to help others faced with this disorder. We want to give hope to those who are faced with this devastating diagnosis. There are many options for interventions and we are providing links to those we believe in.
This page is a work in progress.
Our daughter Danae at the age of 3 was diagnosed December 05 with Autism. I am a speech language pathologist and have worked with autistic children in the past and have now returned to make it my focus. I am now the SLP for the CHILD school (Children's Institute for Learning Differences) on Mercer Island.
Like many parents I saw red flags but hoped it wasn't Autism. The summer of 05 I realized we needed professional guidance when Danae had difficulties switching preschool. She was hitting her head, not making eye contact or responding to her name. She was also having a difficult time with transitions. I was in denial and also hopeful that my child didn't have autism.
I then began my research into treatment strategies. I soon found much more promising information than when I last worked with Autistic children. While completing my undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology I worked with autistic children at the ABC school in Sacramento. Their focus was ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) and PECS (Picture Exchange Communication). This was in 95 and it was the best option at the time. After gradschool I worked in the Seattle schools were we worked with augmentative communication devices and more behavioral based therapies.
I didn't like these therapy options for Danae so I began my research. Through my research I discovered Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). It is an intervention based on the latest evolving neuroscientific research - that autism is a disorder of complex information processing resulting from
underdeveloped connectivity or "wiring" between brain
centers. The deficiency causes the person difficulty
in processing information involving change ("dynamic"
information (such as relationships or transitions) and/or higher order cognitive processes such as appraisal, perspective-taking, and creating and maintaining "episodic" or emotional memories.
The intervention focuses on building the deficient pathways, much as is done with stroke victims. In contrast to behavioral approaches, RDI is not a "task" or "skill" - based model. It is a model that builds, in a step-by-step manner, competency in the core deficit areas of flexible thinking, experience-sharing
communication, episodic memory, appraisal and resilience. It does so using a typical developmental model based on the latest research in developmental psychology. with its roots going back to Piaget at Vygotsky and considering current work by renowned psychologists such as Sroufe, Stern, Hobson, Rogoff, and a number of others.
The center of the approach is the concept of "guided participation," with the parent being the "coach" and the child learning more and more to be in the role of "apprentice." (The parent receives training and ongoing coaching from a certified RDI consultant). The concept of learning through "guided participation" has strong roots in developmental psychology also, across societies and through the ages, see Barbara Rogoff's "Apprenticeship in Thinking." Also a central premise to this theory is that all creative thought comes through
relationships - without being able to connect with and relate to others, the brain is not able to develop normally and fully. Peter Hobson exposes this theory in "The Cradle of Thought."
The intervention of RDI attempts to pull together the latest research in neuroscience and developmental psychology and fashion and effective intervention that addresses the core problem. It is a remediation model that is focused on improving the quality of life for the individual and the family over the long term. It is really "cutting edge" and effective, based on the
feedback from families using the intervention.
