Relationship Restoration Strategies
Mission Statement:
Bringing connection-fostering Autism intervention to nations with least access.
Overview:The biggest hole in the family of a child with Autism is the lack of a guiding relationship between a parent and their child, even if the child has managed to develop some skills. Without a guiding relationship and in a context of little to no hope, children in war-torn, or impoverished nations with poor access to Autism intervention are often subject to abuse as a desperate means through which to manage their behavior. Interventionists in these regions are overwhelmed and ill-equipped, and heartbreaking need far exceeds their preparedness, capacity, or resources.
Development of a guiding relationship between a parent and their child with Autism is critical for cognitive growth. Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) is a means by which caregivers can remediate the core deficits of Autism simply by using the thousands of daily interactions which occur naturally in one's home life. What is missing is an understanding of how to use these interactions constructively. Relationship Restoration Strategies (RRS) introduces RDI to the least accessible global autism community bringing cognitive development keys to reconnect parents with their children. No other organization provides this unique intervention model, which is applicable without the need for strong medical infrastructure, government support, or generous resources allotted for Autism intervention.
Problem Being Solved?Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental difference or disability with a wide spectrum of possible symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Problems with neuro-connectivity affect social interaction skills and communication. Behavioral issues in children with Autism can be profound, creating intense challenges in parenting and education. In nations with few resources, these challenges often lead to tragic abuse.
Families in nations impacted by civil unrest, war, or poverty often lack effective interventions needed to ease the challenges they face raising children with Autism Spectrum Conditions. Consequently, children with Autism in these regions may not develop the ability to communicate reciprocally. They may fail to develop deep connections with family members and lack genuine friendships. These children often grow up incapable of employment and unable to live independently.
Clinic centric solutions, if available at all, usually require regular travel to major metropolitan areas and rely heavily upon expensive highly educated, trained professionals. These professionals provide typical, repetitive behavior management strategies that do not build the neural resources needed to function in an authentic, dynamic environment. Consequently, intervention is either non-existent or inadequate. Children in these nations with Autism Spectrum Conditions who have not received adequate intervention are at profound risk for abuse the entirety of their lives.
How are you solving it?In contrast, RRS directly equips parents and caregivers in a newer, less expensive, more accessible intervention approach called Relationship Development Intervention (RDI®). RRS serves to benefit people with Autism Spectrum Conditions through introducing their caregivers, parental as well as professional, to RDI. This is caregiver provided remediation crafted to develop Mindful Guiding Relationships® as a means to promote authentic cognitive development.
RDI® is a significant departure from traditional ASD interventions. It does not simply seek to mask the condition with scripted conversations or rehearsed behaviors. The number one goal of RDI is to provide the tools and training needed for parents and caregivers to create the guiding relationship with their child that they have never been able to have. Applied over time, the RDI model promotes neuro-cognitive changes that provide the child with the skills needed to navigate life's challenges on their own. By developing capacity for dynamic thinking, RDI strategies open the door to the possibility of a greater quality of life that includes: reciprocal communication, genuine friendships, confident, independent living, prolonged relationships, and meaningful employment. For the parent or caregiver, remedial strategies provide the positive path forward that lessens the likelihood of abuse as their last desperate means through which to manage the child.
This will be accomplished through:
- Sponsorship for RDI certification for key professionals to become equipped advocates for true remediation of Autism in their nations, catalyzing change through inspiring others to action
- Provision of RDI lectures for pediatricians, medical students, psychiatrists, educators, other medical professionals, caregivers, and parents moving Autism intervention away from both sanctioned and unsanctioned abuse towards a true remedial model of intervention
- Community advocacy meetings to promote greater inclusivity and less stigma for families impacted by Autism Spectrum Conditions
Why are you qualified?I have local partnerships already in place in over forty nations. These key connections empower RRS to identify immediate need and intervene without risk of losing our investment to the rampant corruption found in the Global South. Locals with vetted integrity will coordinate in person logistics without inflated costs or theft. I am also partnered with the founders of Relationship Development Intervention. Dr. Rachelle Sheely will be the keynote speaker at conferences, providing great credibility and creating immediate traction in targeted nations. This impacts the trajectory of Autism intervention in order to provide hope for desperate families, interventionists, and caregivers, so that these children can reach their full potentials.
What is the urgency?The urgency for intervention is felt by individual children trapped in a Hell created by an ignorant misunderstanding of their Autism, and the lack of skilled services available to their families.