Relationship Development Intervention ~ learn to relate to your child in a way that makes sense to him/her!

I am an early childhood professional who mentors/coaches preschool teachers in early literacy and kindergarten readiness through a state funded grant. For the last 5 years I have spent countless hours in childcare centers in the Houston area. One thing I’ve noticed is that children who may be on the autism spectrum, perhaps not yet diagnosed but having major behavior and social problems, are frequently “kicked out” of child care centers, leaving parents bewildered and stuck in many ways. Saddened by this but understanding that typically teachers are not equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to deal with special needs children and the need to keep the environment safe for all ~ has led me to study RDI™. Relationship Development Intervention is a cognitive developmental approach to remediation that empowers parents to be at the center stage of intervention for their child. RDI™… • Gives parents a second chance to “re-do” the relationship with their child at the point where it was interrupted • Teaches parents what the core deficits of autism are and how to remediate those deficits during ‘everyday’ activities at home • Emphasizes the step-by-step growth of the child across developmental milestones beginning in infancy and moving the child forward at their own pace. • Develops your child’s ability to use meaningful experience sharing communication and to use multiple channels of communication (eye gaze, facial expression, gestures, prosody…) • Emphasizes the development of the child’s critical thinking skills rather than relying on memorized answers to life’s challenges. • Uses a guide-apprentice teaching model in which the consultant guides the parent and the parent, in turn, guides the child. • Helps parents acknowledge and manage their stress and create a more balanced lifestyle for their family. At our workshops we will talk about what happens in brain development in the first years of life inchildren affected by Autism. We will discuss what the cognitive deficits are and experience, from your child’s point of view, what some of those feel like! We will talk about things that you can do at home to help connect with your child in meaningful ways and you will be able to see first hand a before/after video of a family who has experienced life-changing success with the RDI program. To attend a workshop, RSVP dburns@reachforkids.com Ann McKitrick, MS RDI™ CIT Annmckitrick.rdi@gmail.com