GinaMarie, yes, definately keep an eye on conference dates and places. I'm sorry to hear it's so darn hard for you transportation and money-wise. It really hurts, to have things out there that are either hard or impossible to access. I get really sick of feeling like a mule with a carrot dangling in front of my face, that I'm always wanting and can't seem to get.


Mommasboy,
The consultant I chose was:

Amy Arnoff
1108 N. Mill Street, Suite 6
Plainfield, IL 60544
Phone: 815.725.1049
Email: aarnoff@comcast.net

who as you can see is in Illinois, but, it's like 3 hours away so not out of the question like 30 hours or something. She was in one of the RDI books, so I felt I got to know her a bit thru the book (My Baby Can Dance - great book, but, does not tell you a thing about RDI really, just about families succeeding with it). Well, it seemed clear to me she was more than experienced, so I went with her over the only person I saw in Wisconsin (Milwaukee I think it was) and have not been sorry. I called her, made an appointment for a consultation (not realizing our state paid for it) and she informed me she has other clients from Wisconsin who are funded...so, I called Vincent's case manager woman, gave her the RDI consultants number and they wisked paperwork back and forth between them. I just showed up at the assessment basically, and the paperwork technical stuff was taken care of.

Since Vince too is in 'post intensive' we go through a place called Family Support and Resource for any services he receives, in Madison. You must have a place near you, and a case worker or manager or whatever, that he will be assigned when post intensive. Vince has a case worker there that oversees any money I need for his post intensive treatment. In post intensive your son should get $23.75 per day for approved services, which RDI is since it has objectives and progress is monitored and recorded so can be proven....or something like that, I still haven't memorized all the new 'rules' about this stuff thanks to Governer Devilspawn. When your son is post intensive you will be assigned someone you can go to for services being paid for, like RDI.

You shouldn't do both together, RDI is kind of a lifestyle, not just a so many hours per week thing. Plus, RDI is the opposite of a lot of the intensive stuff focusing on kids intrinsic understanding of function, rather than skills. So, in RDI, a child would look at you to get information from your eyes and face, after it has become a natural reaction they have gained. In say Lovaas style ABA, a child would look at you cause they know they're supposed to, but not cause they are 'reading' your face.

If you really want to try RDI, make an appointment for an assessment after his intensive is finished. Find out what facility will manage his state funds, you may not have a case manager assigned just yet. Worst case scenario, the wheels of bureacuracy(sp) spin too slowly and you have to reschedule the assessment for a later date. Do NOT pay for anything thinking the state will reimburse you, they will NOT. Also, you don't have to pick my consultant for it to work for you of course. By now the one in Milwaukee should have much more experience, and whose to say one is better than the other? I was just trying to do what seemed most logical, by picking the person that had been in RDI longer, and with certifications. Also, she has 3 boys, so she 'knows' boys which Vince is 110% boy. If that percentage is possible. She has been available to me when ever I had questions, has a website for her patients parents to talk to one another. I just really like her cause I think she really knows what she's doing. So, yes I totally recommend her, but if you are way further north of me or close to Milwaukee, certainly try the one there. I don't want to sound like, "oh my consultant is great and all others suck". I just had to go with what made sense to me, I don't want to put any other consultant down at all.

So, make a date for your initial assessment with a consultant of your choice. If there is a wait, which there probably will be, you want to do that. Before the time comes for the assessment, you should have a case manager to do the paperwork thing with the consultant you chose, so you can focus on RDI not paperwork.

Hope that helps.

Mili