For anyone on the spectrum, at any age, any level of skills, the first REAL thing I've ever found for not just Vincent, but myself as well.

www.rdiconnect.com

My favorite line from the site was when Dr. Gutstein said, "I wanted the kids in my waiting room to smile because they were happy to see me, not because they were going to get an m&m."

I want my growth and development, and my son's growth and development to be intrinsic, not empty memorized skills. I feel like a mass of empty memorized skills, and can tell you what confusion and depression that leads to trying to live like this. People are meant to get along with and comingle with other people, we are meant to share emotional experiences. If you cannot be successful at that, there is a gaping painful void that grows, and calluses, throughout your life. RDI is the first thing I've ever found, that has made connections that were not previously there.

The only example I can think of at the moment....I've seen those shows where there is a tribe living in a desert, and they are shown how to dig wells and provide themselves with water. The show makes a point of how it's more important for people to know how to provide themselves with the lifegiving water, than to just have it trucked in for them by others. From that, on their own they are able to go in so many directions with various crops and livestock.

RDI, it's kind of like that, you help your child dig the well. Every step he makes in RDI gives you and gives HIM blocks to build on, it's not a memorized skill (trucked in water), it's intrinsic - so it is a part of the childs hardwiring now. Then, the child can BUILD on that, gain more development. Development you didn't even imagine coming.

The other week, we were supposed to go fishing. I forget what Vince did that he knows he is not supposed to, so I said I would not take him fishing. Instead of completely losing it, which I expected, he said this, "It's ok if you say no, it's ok if I don't fish today, I can maybe fish tomorrow, or in two days or in two years"

Ok, so his sense of time is a little off, but WOW, the fact that I knew he was able to be flexible and adjust and realize a tomorrow would come - for him not to get stuck in the now. That was really cause for celebration!

Well, that's the webite I recommend, it's hard for me to explain all the reasons why.

Mili