ASD: A New Perspective

When people talk about autism, they often picture boys—because statistically, boys are more likely to be diagnosed. But what about the stories we don't hear as often? The ones about girls?  About the unique, often overlooked journey of a mother and her daughter? In Part 3 of our special series on Autism and Girls, Kat […] The post Autism and Girls: Part 3 first appeared on RDIconnect.

When your child is struggling, it’s natural to seek quick fixes. But what if the key to long-term success lies in something deeper? In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, host Kat Lee sits down with RDI® consultant and parent Lisa Palasti to explore the powerful concept of “process over product.” Lisa shares her […] The post The RDI® Process: Not a Quick Fix first appeared on RDIconnect.

As a parent, receiving an autism diagnosis for your child can feel overwhelming. You may have walked out of that appointment with more questions than answers, weighed down by uncertainty or even fear about the future.  But what if, instead of seeing autism as something to “fix,” we affirmed the intrinsic value of our children […] The post Affirming Neurodiversity with Dr. Rachelle Sheely first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® remains a groundbreaking approach in a field that often feels stuck. Unlike traditional models, RDI® prioritizes dynamic intelligence: the ability to adapt, problem-solve, and build meaningful relationships. The post Autism and RDI® in 2025 Part Two with Dr. Steven Gutstein first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® remains a groundbreaking approach in a field that often feels stuck. Unlike traditional models, RDI® prioritizes dynamic intelligence: the ability to adapt, problem-solve, and build meaningful relationships. The post Autism and RDI® in 2025 Part One with Dr. Steven Gutstein first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism, A New Perspective, Kat Lee speaks with Dr. Rachelle Sheely, President of RDIconnect® about the broad-reaching benefits of RDI®.  The post RDI and Autism: The Big Umbrella first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode, Lisa shares her journey of over 20 years as a mom of two boys with unique needs. She looked to help them grow into happy, well-adjusted adults. The post Autism: A Mom's Journey first appeared on RDIconnect.

“I suspect my child has autism. Should we pursue a formal diagnosis?” Kat and Sarah explore the benefits and challenges of getting an official diagnosis—what it can help you access, especially in the U.S., and how it can support your child in living the life they want. The post Autism and Diagnosis first appeared on RDIconnect.

Autistic people often face barriers in accessing appropriate care that non-autistic people do not. Finding clinicians who are equipped and willing to work with autistic children can be especially challenging. So, how can clinicians become better equipped, and how can you ensure your child receives the care they need? Challenges in Accessing Care for Autistic […] The post Is This Autism? first appeared on RDIconnect.

It's possible to reform a Guiding Relationship with children diagnosed with autism, leading to growth-seeking and many more benefits. Learn more with Dr Sheely The post Autism and Mental Engagement first appeared on RDIconnect.

Why do so many people have such low expectations for individuals with autism? Absolutely everyone has potential. The key is unlocking that potential.  The post Unlocking Potential first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, Kat Lee and Dr. Sheely discuss the history of RDI® Consultants and how they help parents, families and children. The post Autism and the RDI® Consultant first appeared on RDIconnect.

In some ways, there have been dramatic changes in the way we view and treat autism in the 20+ years since the RDI® Program launched. For one, more people are seeing autism like we do here at RDI®, as simply a different way of thinking and being. We know that autism can mean a lot of challenges, but challenges can be overcome. The post Autism & RDI® in 2024 first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, host Katherine Lee talks with Dr. Rachelle Sheely about autism, siblings and RDI®. The post Autism and Siblings first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, host Katherine Lee brings in a former RDI® student who is now in her 30s. Alysia Elliot and her mom Sharon Sargeant talk about Alysia's life with autism, before RDI® and how starting an RDI® program changed everything. The post RDI: An Interview With a Former Student first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this podcast from RDIconnect® Dr. Rachelle Sheely explains the developmental process involved in RDI and how it can help children and adults alike. Autism: A New Perspective is Available on iTunes! Full Transcript Kat Lee: Hello, and welcome back to Autism: A New Perspective, the podcast show where we help you understand what is […] The post Autism, Adults & RDI® first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this week's podcast, Dr. Sheely talks about the RDI® program for adults. When is it appropriate? Who is an ideal candidate? And how can it help? The post Starting an RDI® Program as an Adult first appeared on RDIconnect.

Dr. Sarah Wayland talks about autism and masking, specifically for teens or young adults in this episode of the RDIconnect® podcast, Autism: A new Perspective. The post Autistic Teens and Masking first appeared on RDIconnect.

The beginnings of the Relationship Development Intervention (RDI®) program happened around 30 years ago, when Dr. Steven Gutstein and Dr. Rachelle Sheely began to ask some questions about autism, like “Why do intelligent, capable adults on the spectrum struggle to maintain independence? What is it about autism that sets people up to not be independent?” The post The History of RDI® first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of "Autism: A New Perspective," Kat is joined by Betty Adkins, M.S., an RDI® Certified Consultant, RDI® parent, and developer of the RDI® Teacher Institute, to talk about RDI® and high school. The post Implementing RDI® in High School first appeared on RDIconnect.

In part two of 'Autism and Parent Empowerment with RDI®,' Lisa and Kat talk about each of the 'Three E's of Empowerment' and why they're important, as well as their own personal experiences as RDI® parents and how RDI® empowered them to take control of their children's growth, learning and futures. The post Autism and Parent Empowerment with RDI® – Part II first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of “Autism: A New Perspective,” Dr. Sheely talks about RDI® and parent empowerment. So many parents of autistic children find that they don't know what's going on with their child's learning and growth - they don't know what's happening at the clinics or at school - and they don't know the next step, or how they can help, and it leaves them feeling powerless. The post Autism and Parent Empowerment with RDI® first appeared on RDIconnect.

Feeling anxious, especially when beginning autism remediation, is common among both children and their parents, but anxiety can have a positive side. It can often make us more responsive and more creative. The post Autism and Anxiety first appeared on RDIconnect.

Wellbeing is defined as the state of being “comfortable, healthy, and happy,” a simple definition for something that, for many people, isn't quite so simple. Life gets in the way of our self-care and our wellbeing, and this can be especially true for parents of children who have special needs. The post The Wellbeing of Parents first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® can help all families, and your child can benefit from starting RDI® at any age, but the program is designed to promote growth, learning, development, and the ability to have relationships and perform necessary life skills, and, eventually, independence in adulthood. Your child can benefit from RDI® into their teen years and into young adulthood, if they are not yet ready for adulthood. The post Moving into Adulthood with RDI® first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, Kat Lee talks with special guest Dr. Sarah Wayland, an RDI® Certified Consultant and parenting coach, about raising autistic teens, RDI® and navigating high school on the spectrum. The post RDI® and High School first appeared on RDIconnect.

Using functioning diagnostic labels on children and adults with autism is damaging to them. Dr. Rachelle Sheely, co-founder of RDIconnect talks more about it. The post Why are Autism Labels SO Damaging? first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of “Autism: A New Perspective,” we continue the discussion about raising girls with autism. Kat Lee is joined by special guest Sharon Sargeant, an RDI® parent whose daughter is now an adult. Sharon talks about the difficulty of getting a diagnosis in the early 90s, trying ABA, and discovering RDI® when her daughter was 12 years old. The post Autism and Girls: Part 2 first appeared on RDIconnect.

As parents, we can use RDI® concepts to introduce our children to more variables and increasingly dynamic situations, when they are ready. Children with autism are more than capable of achieving growth, development, and quality of life, just like neurotypical children, but they must be given the chance - and they must be able to move at their own pace. The post RDI®: An Introduction to the Dynamic World first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode, Kat Lee and special guest Nargis Carnahan delve into the joys and challenges of raising a daughter on the spectrum, and how autistic girls who grow up to be autistic women have a set of their own unique challenges they must face. The post Girls and Autism first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of "Autism: A New Perspective," Dr. Sheely talks about the things that might trigger a state of crisis again for some parents, how to know if you're in a crisis state, and what you can do to move yourself out of it. The post When Parents Experience Crisis first appeared on RDIconnect.

What makes us human is the product of our orientation and our engagement with a dynamic variation. So how does this fit into a world where you are resistant to change? How can you help your child, without overwhelming or stressing them out, see the world as something to be discovered and experienced? The post Autism and Resistance to Change first appeared on RDIconnect.

Dynamic Intelligence is thriving in a world with partial predictability and getting used to living in a world of uncertainty. The post Managing a Dynamic World Part II first appeared on RDIconnect.

Sometimes there is a misconception that RDI does not work with children who are non-verbal, that this is not for them. But Dr. Rachelle Sheely talks about her work with children on the spectrum that were non-verbal and how RDI® can be used with every child. The post RDI and Non-Verbal Children first appeared on RDIconnect.

A lot of people think there's this continuum of dynamic on one end and static on the other, where you got this opposite... That sort of the opposite of static, and it's not at all. On the one end, you've got static, but on the other end you've got chaotic or random. And that's what systems theories tell us, and there are two very important ways in which dynamic situations or systems are different from their chaotic ones. The post Managing a Dynamic World Part 1 first appeared on RDIconnect.

When you have someone older the parents are often very tired, because they've been trying so many things. It's very difficult for them to dream again. The post Teens, Adults and the RDI® Program first appeared on RDIconnect.

For some reason, the necessary MindGuiding Relationship that typically forms between parent and child during the first year of life doesn't happen with autistic individuals--but with RDI®, it is possible to re-establish this relationship and nurture the growth mindset in your child. The post Why RDI and What is It?: Part II first appeared on RDIconnect.

In the general population, there's a spectrum of people. Not everybody is going to be a college professor, and some people are going to have jobs as an assistant at Starbucks, and other people are going to have jobs as engineers. And so when I see someone who has a job as a greeter at Starbucks and has autism and has a girlfriend, I see that as an incredible success. The post Your Child and Relationships and Marriage first appeared on RDIconnect.

With the rate of employment among ASD adults low and rates of depression and suicide high, it's clear that something isn't working. RDI addresses this deficit. The post Why RDI and What Is It? first appeared on RDIconnect.

With the rate of employment among ASD adults low and rates of depression and suicide high, it's clear that something isn't working. RDI addresses this deficit. The post Why RDI and What Is It? first appeared on RDIconnect.

My advice to RDI® parents is to make sure you and your consultant are asking, "How does everybody get on the same page and how do you come together as a family?" Not an autism family, but how do you come together as a family? The post Autism and Marriage for Parents first appeared on RDIconnect.

My advice to RDI® parents is to make sure you and your consultant are asking, "How does everybody get on the same page and how do you come together as a family?" Not an autism family, but how do you come together as a family? The post Autism and Marriage for Parents first appeared on RDIconnect.

As children with autism grow up and inch closer to adulthood, there are sometimes lingering concerns--What if we didn't do enough? What if we went in the wrong direction? What if independence isn't possible?--but growth is possible into adulthood. The post Teens, Adults & Autism first appeared on RDIconnect.

As children with autism grow up and inch closer to adulthood, there are sometimes lingering concerns--What if we didn’t do enough? What if we went in the wrong direction? What if independence isn’t possible?--but growth is possible into adulthood. The post Teens, Adults & Autism first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® focuses on well-being in children with Autism, rather than assessments and measurements, giving them independence and true quality of life. The post The Heart of RDI®: Your Child & Well Being Part II first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® focuses on well-being in children with Autism, rather than assessments and measurements, giving them independence and true quality of life. The post The Heart of RDI®: Your Child & Well Being Part II first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® is a developmental pathway to gradually moving more and more and more towards self-management and self-guiding in a dynamic world. The post The Heart of RDI: Your Child and Wellbeing first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® is a developmental pathway to gradually moving more and more and more towards self-management and self-guiding in a dynamic world. The post The Heart of RDI: Your Child and Wellbeing first appeared on RDIconnect.

For all of us who have had a child diagnosed with autism, we know that they aren’t the only person who is vulnerable in what’s going on. The post Finding Balance After an Autism Diagnosis first appeared on RDIconnect.