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As
an RDI® consultant, I have seen the truly wondrous effect
Relationship Development Intervention®(RDI®) has on families.I have personally seen parents who have
attempted every possible intervention, only to have found hope in RDI®. Instead
of using antidepressants to treat M’s Obsessive Compulsive Behavior (which
often caused overwhelming stress to the family), her parents decided to train
in RDI®. M’s first family-assessment video was taken two-and-a-half
years ago.The contrast between M’s
behavior then and now is very distinct.She
was sixteen years old at the time. She had made several attempts to run away and
to break the connection that her parents had tried so hard to build.
The RDI® program taught the parents to remain physiologically and emotionally regulated, even during emotional hurricanes. Meeting the family for the six-month funding evaluation, her social worker immediately sensed a much calmer home atmosphere. A couple months later, M’s mom even had the courage to take M and her sister on a trip overseas, without having to worry about her ASD daughter’s wellbeing. Everyone started to notice M’s improvement, including her grandmother. Her once-anxious granddaughter, who had often thrown temper tantrums, had become much more resilient.M’s progress has made it possible for grandma to take her on the city transit for a Chinese dimsum.
The girl who used to resist learning from others is becoming a very eager learner. She is now motivated to ask her mom to teach her Chinese characters, accepts her teachers’ guidance, and is even learning from her siblings solely from observation. She takes pride in her role in the family when it comes to doing the family laundry, dishes, and other daily household chores. She also volunteers at a homeless shelter and a senior home.
M continues to make progress in her ability to adapt, change strategies and alter plans based upon changing circumstances. She helped her sister with the newspaper route during summer. On a rainy day, she told mom they couldn’t do the newspaper route. Mom suggested waiting after supper hoping that the rain would subdue. After supper, upon hearing that her sister and mom were getting ready to leave the house, she quickly got herself ready to join the team. One day, she was in the middle of doing her laundry when her driver came to pick her up to go to a church program. Instead of getting upset, she asked her mom to complete the chore for her. This is a huge improvement from not being able to leave a job unfinished. On another day after church, mom changed their plans to just staying home for lunch instead of going to the restaurant that M had been waiting for. Once again, she was able to adjust to the new schedule.
It is evident that the benefits of RDI® extend from the person with ASD to her parents, siblings, extended family, community, and me. M often expresses her appreciation and love with a big hug, a smile, and expressive language: “Thank you, Hanna! I love you!” And just as she does, I would like to show my appreciation by saying simply: Thank you, RDI®!
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Hanna
Ng is a certified RDI consultant and children’s minister of a Baptist church in
Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA. Hanna and her husband, Rev. Peter Ng, have three
daughters, ages 21, 18 and 14. Besides English, she also speaks Indonesian,
Mandarin and Cantonese.
email:hanna.ng@dynamicautism.com ; cell: 780-720-7297