The
Relationship
Development Intervention (RDI™) / Social Skills Development
The
premise of RDI is simple: Social development is innate for neurotypical (NT)
children but not for children within the autism spectrum. RDI begins with an in depth assessment of a
child’s social development which looks at skills that NT children develop in
chronological order. Deficiencies are
addressed in developmental order with games and exercises that are specifically
designed to develop the missing skills.
At
the beginning of the school year, a certified RDI consultant assesses each
child’s social abilities. Next, parents
and school staff are trained to implement the RDI program for each child. While RDI has principally been an at-home
therapy program, each child’s social development can be accelerated, by
incorporating RDI into The Nexus School’s curriculum and having parents also
execute RDI at home. Parent commitment
to continuing this therapy at home is critical.
Utilizing
this approach, NEXUS staff, together with parents, help children learn the joys
and rewards of social interaction and development of relationships. Making friends and keeping friends requires
flexibility and sharing control. It is an infectious process.
Home and
School
At The
Nexus School, we recognize that parents play a vital and indispensable role
in the development of their child's unique programming. In order to
maximize every minute of every day, Nexus coordinates efforts with parents with
the express intent of identifying and employing the strategies
and instructional methods necessary to optimize the unique learning
potential of each child, while working to minimize learning failures.
To
that end, we encourage parents to come to the school frequently to observe,
participate, and confer with our staff.
We recognize that children often have working parents, and so we offer other
methods of communication - e-mail, a daily home/school journal – to establish
effective communication. In addition,
parent/teacher conferences are held monthly.
*RDI™ is trademark of The Connections Center. To learn more about RDI, go to http://www.connectionscenter.com/