| June 2, 2007 "I would like to thank Stacy Goresko for helping me to understand how to implement Relationship Development Intervention strategies in my classroom. Having been a teacher for over twenty years, I still felt challenged to think outside the box, this year when Stacy's son, Ylann joined my class and asked if we could use a R.D.I. approach. Stacy gently helped us to see ways to bring R.D.I. into our normal routines. Some of the strategies she encouraged us to try included; using more enthusiasm and well timed sound effects and movements, giving opportunities for Ylann to take on an apprenticeship role to our mentor role, encouraging episodic memory by referring to emotions of recent past events, and understanding of what is going on in the environment by talking about what the other children were doing or might be thinking. Ylann had a wonderful year and developed close bonds to his teachers, therapists, and classmates. It was fun to watch him grow. Thank you, Stacy for your patient, insightful support. I know future children will benefit from the understanding of Relationship Development Intervention that you have helped us gain." |
| February 15, 2007
“The reasons we chose RDI as the right approach for our family are that first, with RDI, you are training yourself to be more competent working with your child. Other approaches emphasize training or working with professionals without receiving training in the methodology yourself. Second, I believe that RDI is the "missing link" in autism remediation, as others have described. I had a professional describe my child as “talking to the air" after three years in early intervention services. She recommended RDI as a way to improve his social emotional relationships, in combination with other instruction and therapy techniques. RDI is something we can use as a family, every day, as part of our lifestyle, to complement his work with others.” |
| February 24, 2007
“We came to RDI after 2 and 1/2 years of implementing a 30+ hour a week home ABA program for our son, Alex. The behavioral approach had enabled him to increase his receptive and functional language but we were saddened by his almost complete absence of social communication and a lack of facial expression and eye contact. Soon after switching our focus to developing an RDI lifestyle we observed changes in Alex: we began enjoying his company more and he started to show interest in us! He was gazing at our faces (and we had stopped saying "look at me") and showing emotion! Alex went from being passive (continual poker face), to having a full range of emotions. He went through an appropriate developmental stage of having opinions and expressing them with vigor! Now Alex seeks us out for interaction saying "chase me!” or "follow me" giving us a mischievous smile. We spent months last year trying to teach him "tag" in our ABA program with zero results. Now he is teaching "tag" to us! We have the full support of his teacher and EA's at school as they see the improvements in his social communication as well. He is learning to have a healthy dependence on his special adults, whereas he used to merely tolerate us. Sometimes we have a hard time scheduling lab time for RDI activities but we feel that we have made a paradigm shift in our relationship with Alex that carries through our daily social interactions, and therefore progress continues. We are very excited to get to know Alex more and more as the years goes by.” “Stacy's insight into the hope that RDI gives is a result of her own extensive training and background and also the successes she has had with her own son. She is non-judgmental and positive in her suggestions and ongoing review of our activities. She helps us to see Alex' development as a marathon and not a sprint and to take joy in all of his small steps forward. We feel gently guided by her and not driven to action by feelings of guilt. She has certainly helped us to see that having a positive, loving relationship with Alex is the foundation for his future development. RDI has really worked in addressing Alex' development as a person and we are so grateful to Stacy for her guidance.” |
| February 12, 2007 “We started RDI with our son after I read Dr. Gutstein’s first book, shortly after it came out. I cried a lot while I was reading it, because it was clear that I had finally found what I was looking for in terms of an intervention that could address my son’s relationship challenges in an individualized, stepwise and specific manner.” “We had to start out going to Houston for evaluation and consultation as this was a few years ago, before the activities books were published, before anyone but Drs. Gutstein and Sheely were doing RDI. After all this time, and through many therapies along the way, RDI is still the single most important intervention we have utilized.” “After the RDI professional we had been working with retired, I was delighted to find Dr. Stacy Goresko to work with us. Her warm manner, sense of humor, flexibility and astute observations made her a good fit for us. Having a child on the spectrum herself, there are things she understands in the unique way that only another parent of a child on the spectrum can. As we have worked with her, I have also come to appreciate how much her background in communication gives her greater depth in the field of relationships and communication.” “I would highly recommend both RDI and Dr. Stacy Goresko to any parent who has a child on the autism spectrum, or even a child who has those same kinds of relationship challenges.” Sherrill Strong, LCSW and parent of a child with Asperger’s Syndrome |