My work in the field of Autism began 23 years ago, when I
was assigned to work as an aide in a preschool classroom full of young children
with Autism in Los Angeles, California. I was fortunate enough to work under an
inspiring teacher, Gloria, who used her beautiful voice when calling her little
students to circle time. Gloria’s love for teaching inspired me to continue
working with autistic children. I learned quickly that excellence and passion
in anyone choosing to work with special needs children, is not enough to make a
long lasting impact in the lives of individuals with Autism without prominent parental
involvements.
For example, Gloria and I found that Mondays and coming back after an extended holiday break was particularly challenging for ASD children, it was as though we had to start over with some of the skills they have previously made progress in. We found that potty training was difficult to accomplish in the classroom without parents’ willingness to maintain a consistent routine at home.
After completing my field work as Gloria’s assistant, I explored working as a behavioral interventionist with ASD children. I would implement customized programs by working directly with a client at home, and even though we saw progress within the scope of therapy, there was still a disconnect in the child’s ability to apply the skills with parents, teachers or other professionals working to address co-occurring conditions. It seemed that the best team of professionals with the best intentions working for the same client was still not enough!! Everyone on the team seemed to work on his/her own objectives, and the child was not ‘connecting the dots’.
Almost 12 years ago, I stumbled upon a new parent-based program called Relationship Development Intervention (RDI), I became certified and have never looked back. What was and still is, unique about the RDI™ program is that building parental competence as a guide at home truly is the missing piece in Autism remediation. Even within the first year of implementing parents’ objectives, the learning potential in every child blossoms naturally, and even more important, the changes in the parent-child relationship just unfolds beautifully. As a clinician, there is nothing more rewarding than witnessing a client who is able learn something new, take off and run with it, and it would not matter where and who he or she is with. It is amazing to compare notes with other professionals working with the same client and agree that learning has become easier and more motivating for the child. The RDI program helps ASD children to integrate what they have learned in different settings, and increase their motivation to use the skills more.
What the RDI™ program has given the parents I work with is a chance to ‘redo’ the neurological pathways needed to develop mindfulness in their children. The program equips parents to be able to change themselves, and therefore have the mental, physical, emotional readiness and capacity to slow down and build competence in their children. Naturally by being successful guides at home, parents are preparing their children to learn from other adults. Parents are no longer pulled to so many different directions by other people’s opinions, because they are confident that they can take any objectives from their team of professionals and implement them at home as only a good guide to a child would.
I love sharing about my work as an RDI clinician with other professionals working with special needs children, and when they ask me: “What do you love the most about RDI?”. My answer is simple: “Because our work as parent coaches helps children learn better with anyone about anything, the sky is the limit!”
Maisie Soetantyo, B.A, M.Ed, has been working with
children under the ASD spectrum since 1994. She received her degree
in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from UCLA under the supervision of
Dr. Ivar Lovaas of the Young Autism Project. Upon graduation, Maisie
worked under Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh of the Center for Autism and Related
Disorders for 6 years, holding the titles of Supervising Therapist and
Clinic Supervisor. As supervisor, she was responsible for providing
ongoing program supervision to families in Michigan, Ohio, San Jose, as
well as the East and North Bay areas. Specifically, her
responsibilities included providing individualized programs, parent and
therapist trainings using Behavior Modification technique (ABA).
In 2001, Maisie co-founded the Comprehensive Autism Treatment for
Children (CATCH) clinic in Sunnyvale California. The clinic was
designed to be a facility to combine all aspects of treatment for ASD
children and adolescents into one, all-inclusive treatment plan. In
2004, Maisie was a member of the inaugural class of Dr. Steven
Gutsteins’ RDI® Consultants Certification program and has maintained her
re-certification credentials for seven years. In 2007, Maisie was one
of the first RDI® consultants invited to supersede Dr. Gutstein in his
role as host and primary speaker for the Connections Center’s
extra-Houston Four-Day Parent Training workshops, and frequently serves
as a breakout specialist for the Connections Center’s domestic Parent
Training Seminars. In addition, Maisie is also part of the
certification committee for RDIconnect, and she also
provides supervision to RDI Certifications program trainees. Email Maisie