This tip on declarative communication is another in the series that has appeared here under “Tip of the Day” that is based on the principles of Relationship Development Intervention (the RDI® Program) developed by Dr. Steve Gutstein.  The following information on communication is taken from that program.

Children and adults on the autism spectrum vary greatly in how much they talk.  At one end of the autism spectrum, when a child is non-verbal, parents want nothing more than for their child to start talking. They feel ANY words would be welcome! So parents ask many close ended questions and meaningless questions (e.g., What color is that?) just to hear them speak.  That is where I was as a parent not too long ago.  At the other end of the verbal spectrum, are those who talk a lot informing or incessantly asking questions, but they often miss the cues that the other person has quickly tired of listening to their favor topic.  Individuals on both end of this spectrum have big problems with communication which greatly hampers their ability to have meaningful, reciprocal relationships.

So how do we teach our children to use language for experience-sharing?  

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Extinction is a behavioral principle used in applied behavior analysis (ABA).  It can be used to reduce or eliminate an unwanted behavior such as disruptive behaviors, tantrums, swearing, whining, aggressive, as well as self injurious behavior. 

To learn more visit this site.

A previous tip gave an overview of the Relationship Development Intervention RDI® Program and why Dr. Steven Gutstein developed it.  One of the most important and fundamental principles of RDI is “guided participation”.  The idea here is to have a parent, teacher, or older sibling guide the individual with autism through an activity or interaction so they make discoveries.  For example, the emphasis in RDI is for individuals with autism to make discoveries about people – rather than telling them what they should do or expect in a situation, etc.  Once a discovery has been made, then it can be built upon so that the individual with autism becomes increasingly nuanced in their understanding of how people and the world work.  An important goal of guided participation is to transfer wisdom and let the autistic child make discoveries so they develop thinking skills and a sense of competence.  RDI is a cognitive program where the goal is to develop brain connections not made during infancy. 

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What is Relationship Development Intervention?

Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) was developed by Dr. Steven Gutstein. This is an intervention program designed to remediate the cognitive processing deficits of autism, and focuses heavily on developing these through the autistic child’s relationship with their parents. The goal of the RDI® Program is to provide people on the autism spectrum with the potential to attain a higher quality of life (e.g., the ability to have meaningful friendships, live independently as adults, marry, etc.).

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Friendships represent a significant and important role in most of our lives. Developing and maintaining those relationships seems to come ‘natural’ for most of us, something we were born knowing how to do. However, friendship building is difficult for individuals on the autism spectrum. The “Circle of Friends” process can help students learn to build relationships with peers and increase their overall sense of belonging as well as participating in the social sector.

For more detailed information visit the iCAN training modules.

Or check out this site for Nebraska’s 2008 Teacher of the Year, Mary Schlieder.  Mary has a book out titled, “With Open Arms:  Creating School Communities of Support for Socially Challenged Kids Using Circle of Friends, Extracurricular Activities, and Staff Learning Teams”.    This book will give parents and school staff practical, easy to use tools to create a welcoming school community for kids with social challenges. Best of all, Mary is a Nebraska teacher and willing to come speak to local parent groups.  You can contact her at mary@schoolswithopenarms.com. 

(For more tips please visit our Autism News section where everything is archived!)

A Social Story™ describes a situation, skill, or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses in a specifically defined style and format. The goal of a Social Story™ is to share accurate social information in a patient and reassuring manner that is easily understood by its audience. Half of all Social Stories™ developed should affirm something that an individual does well. Although the goal of a Story™ should never be to change the individual’s behavior, that individual’s improved understanding of events and expectations may lead to more effective responses.

excerpted from The Gray Center.  To learn more about Carol Gray and the Gray Center visit www.thegraycenter.org

or you can see examples and learn more about how social stories can be used at the iCAN training module site.

(For more tips please visit our Autism News section where everything is archived!)

Our daily lives are made up of an endless stream of thoughts, decisions, actions and reactions to the people and environment in which we live. The internal and external actions fit together.  Sometimes seamlessly.  Sometimes not.   This is largely dependent upon a set of invisible yet highly important skills we call Executive Functioning (EF). These skills, which involve planning, organizing, sequencing, prioritizing, shifting attention, and time management can be well-developed in some people (think traffic controllers, wedding planners, business CEOs, etc.) and less developed in others. They are vital in all parts of life, from making coffee to running a profitable business. The skills develop naturally, without specific, formal training, and we all have them to some degree – or at least, we all assume we all have them.

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