Autism: A New Perspective

When a child receives a “Level 3” autism diagnosis, parents are often met with a list of limitations rather than a path forward. In a recent episode of the Autism: A New Perspective podcast, host Kat Lee spoke with RDI® consultant Karla Galvan about her son Lorenzo’s journey – a story that moves from a […] The post Beyond the Label: Lessons from a Level 3 Autism Success Story first appeared on RDIconnect.

In today’s digital age, we have an incredible amount of information at our fingertips. However, when it comes to understanding our own neurology, this constant stream of content can sometimes do more harm than good. It is a source of distress to see how the seriousness of an autism diagnosis is frequently misunderstood in the […] The post Navigating the Autism Diagnosis: Beyond Social Media Checklists first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism, A New Perspective, host Kat Lee talks with Andreja Stefulj, an RDI® Consultant based in London who leads RDI® professional training across the UK and Europe. Andrea shares her journey from working in school settings and studying ABA to discovering RDI® as a more relationship-based, developmentally focused approach. Her story […] The post Going Beyond Parent Coaching by Bringing the Whole Family Into RDI® first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this Autism, A New Perspective episode, Kat Lee and Dr. Steven Gutstein explain RDI®, dynamic intelligence, and why parents are essential guides for long-term growth. The post A New Year for RDI® Clarifying Autism and Building the Next Generation first appeared on RDIconnect.

Kat Lee and RDI consultant Lisa Palasti talk about autism parenting in 2026, cutting through overload so parents can slow down, lead, and support real growth. The post Parents and Autism in 2026: Finding Your Role in a Noisy World first appeared on RDIconnect.

For many parents, the word “assessment” brings up hard memories. Long reports that list everything your child cannot do. Scores that seem to define your child’s future. Professionals who study your child while you sit in the hallway and wait. In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, Kat Lee talks with Claudia Andreessen, Professional […] The post The Heart of Growth: Inside the Relationship Development Assessment first appeared on RDIconnect.

Dr. Steven Gutstein explains why parents are the primary guides in RDI®, how to allocate resources, and how consultants help families start small and build momentum. The post Parents as Guides in RDI 2025: A Conversation with Dr. Steven Gutstein first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, Kat Lee talks with RDI consultant and parent Lisa Palasti about why self-care is essential for families navigating autism. They address common barriers like guilt, time pressure, and lost social connection, and offer realistic steps parents can take now, from prioritizing health appointments to building daily moments of rest and support. When parents thrive, children benefit. The post A Time to Guide: Why Children Need Presence More Than Appointments first appeared on RDIconnect.

Parenting a child with autism can be demanding, and self-care isn’t selfish, it’s essential. In this episode, learn how to thrive so your child can too. The post Parenting, Autism, and Self-Care: Why Self-Care Is Not Selfish first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, Kat Lee is joined once again by Dr. Tom Atkinson for a powerful conversation on the complex relationship between autism and stress, particularly as it affects both parents and their children.  As an RDI® consultant, psychologist, and father of an adult son on the spectrum, Dr. Atkinson […] The post Understanding Autism and Stress: Insights from Dr. Tom Atkinson first appeared on RDIconnect.

In Episode 133 of our podcast, Autism: A New Perspective, host Kat Lee sits down once again with RDI® consultant and research psychologist Dr. Tom Atkinson for a candid, compassionate discussion on parental well-being. The post Supporting Parents of Autistic Children: The Power of Positivity and Well-Being first appeared on RDIconnect.

“Everything is going to be better for that person you’re caring for if you’re caring for yourself.” – Kat Lee The post Autism and Caretakers first appeared on RDIconnect.

Join consultant and parent Lisa Maloney for a profoundly moving conversation about her daughter Ellie’s story. You’ll walk away reminded that growth is possible The post Autism and Girls: Part 3 first appeared on RDIconnect.

When your child is struggling it's natural to seek quick fixes. But what if the key to long-term success lies in something deeper? Learn more about RDI® Process in this podcast with Kat Lee and Lisa Palasti. The post The RDI® Process: Not a Quick Fix first appeared on RDIconnect.

In our latest episode of Autism: A New Perspective, Dr. Rachelle Sheely, president of RDIconnect®, joins host Kat Lee to share a deeply compassionate and hopeful perspective on neurodiversity. The post Affirming Neurodiversity with Dr. Rachelle Sheely first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® remains a groundbreaking approach in a field that often feels stuck. Unlike traditional models, RDI® prioritizes dynamic intelligence: the ability to adapt, problem-solve, and build meaningful relationships. The post Autism and RDI® in 2025 Part Two with Dr. Steven Gutstein first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® remains a groundbreaking approach in a field that often feels stuck. Unlike traditional models, RDI® prioritizes dynamic intelligence: the ability to adapt, problem-solve, and build meaningful relationships. The post Autism and RDI® in 2025 Part One with Dr. Steven Gutstein first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism, A New Perspective, Kat Lee speaks with Dr. Rachelle Sheely, President of RDIconnect® about the broad-reaching benefits of RDI®.  The post RDI® and Autism: The Big Umbrella first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode, Lisa shares her journey of over 20 years as a mom of two boys with unique needs. She looked to help them grow into happy, well-adjusted adults. The post Autism: A Mom’s Journey first appeared on RDIconnect.

“I suspect my child has autism. Should we pursue a formal diagnosis?” Kat and Sarah explore the benefits and challenges of getting an official diagnosis—what it can help you access, especially in the U.S., and how it can support your child in living the life they want. The post Autism and Diagnosis first appeared on RDIconnect.

Autistic people often face barriers in accessing appropriate care that non-autistic people do not. Finding clinicians who are equipped and willing to work with autistic children can be especially challenging. So, how can clinicians become better equipped, and how can you ensure your child receives the care they need? Challenges in Accessing Care for Autistic […] The post Is This Autism? first appeared on RDIconnect.

It's possible to reform a Guiding Relationship with children diagnosed with autism, leading to growth-seeking and many more benefits. Learn more with Dr Sheely The post Autism and Mental Engagement first appeared on RDIconnect.

Why do so many people have such low expectations for individuals with autism? Absolutely everyone has potential. The key is unlocking that potential.  The post Unlocking Potential first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, Kat Lee and Dr. Sheely discuss the history of RDI® Consultants and how they help parents, families and children. The post Autism and the RDI® Consultant first appeared on RDIconnect.

In some ways, there have been dramatic changes in the way we view and treat autism in the 20+ years since the RDI® Program launched. For one, more people are seeing autism like we do here at RDI®, as simply a different way of thinking and being. We know that autism can mean a lot of challenges, but challenges can be overcome. The post Autism & RDI® in 2024 first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, host Katherine Lee talks with Dr. Rachelle Sheely about autism, siblings and RDI®. The post Autism and Siblings first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, host Katherine Lee brings in a former RDI® student who is now in her 30s. Alysia Elliot and her mom Sharon Sargeant talk about Alysia's life with autism, before RDI® and how starting an RDI® program changed everything. The post RDI: An Interview With a Former Student first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this podcast from RDIconnect® Dr. Rachelle Sheely explains the developmental process involved in RDI and how it can help children and adults alike. Autism: A New Perspective is Available on iTunes! Full Transcript Kat Lee: Hello, and welcome back to Autism: A New Perspective, the podcast show where we help you understand what is […] The post Autism, Adults & RDI® first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this week's podcast, Dr. Sheely talks about the RDI® program for adults. When is it appropriate? Who is an ideal candidate? And how can it help? The post Starting an RDI® Program as an Adult first appeared on RDIconnect.

Dr. Sarah Wayland talks about autism and masking, specifically for teens or young adults in this episode of the RDIconnect® podcast, Autism: A new Perspective. The post Autistic Teens and Masking first appeared on RDIconnect.

The beginnings of the Relationship Development Intervention (RDI®) program happened around 30 years ago, when Dr. Steven Gutstein and Dr. Rachelle Sheely began to ask some questions about autism, like “Why do intelligent, capable adults on the spectrum struggle to maintain independence? What is it about autism that sets people up to not be independent?” The post The History of RDI® first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of "Autism: A New Perspective," Kat is joined by Betty Adkins, M.S., an RDI® Certified Consultant, RDI® parent, and developer of the RDI® Teacher Institute, to talk about RDI® and high school. The post Implementing RDI® in High School first appeared on RDIconnect.

In part two of 'Autism and Parent Empowerment with RDI®,' Lisa and Kat talk about each of the 'Three E's of Empowerment' and why they're important, as well as their own personal experiences as RDI® parents and how RDI® empowered them to take control of their children's growth, learning and futures. The post Autism and Parent Empowerment with RDI® – Part II first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of “Autism: A New Perspective,” Dr. Sheely talks about RDI® and parent empowerment. So many parents of autistic children find that they don’t know what’s going on with their child’s learning and growth - they don’t know what’s happening at the clinics or at school - and they don’t know the next step, or how they can help, and it leaves them feeling powerless. The post Autism and Parent Empowerment with RDI® first appeared on RDIconnect.

Feeling anxious, especially when beginning autism remediation, is common among both children and their parents, but anxiety can have a positive side. It can often make us more responsive and more creative. The post Autism and Anxiety first appeared on RDIconnect.

Wellbeing is defined as the state of being “comfortable, healthy, and happy,” a simple definition for something that, for many people, isn’t quite so simple. Life gets in the way of our self-care and our wellbeing, and this can be especially true for parents of children who have special needs. The post The Wellbeing of Parents first appeared on RDIconnect.

RDI® can help all families, and your child can benefit from starting RDI® at any age, but the program is designed to promote growth, learning, development, and the ability to have relationships and perform necessary life skills, and, eventually, independence in adulthood. Your child can benefit from RDI® into their teen years and into young adulthood, if they are not yet ready for adulthood. The post Moving into Adulthood with RDI® first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of Autism: A New Perspective, Kat Lee talks with special guest Dr. Sarah Wayland, an RDI® Certified Consultant and parenting coach, about raising autistic teens, RDI® and navigating high school on the spectrum. The post RDI® and High School first appeared on RDIconnect.

Using functioning diagnostic labels on children and adults with autism is damaging to them. Dr. Rachelle Sheely, co-founder of RDIconnect talks more about it. The post Why are Autism Labels SO Damaging? first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of “Autism: A New Perspective,” we continue the discussion about raising girls with autism. Kat Lee is joined by special guest Sharon Sargeant, an RDI® parent whose daughter is now an adult. Sharon talks about the difficulty of getting a diagnosis in the early 90s, trying ABA, and discovering RDI® when her daughter was 12 years old. The post Autism and Girls: Part 2 first appeared on RDIconnect.

As parents, we can use RDI® concepts to introduce our children to more variables and increasingly dynamic situations, when they are ready. Children with autism are more than capable of achieving growth, development, and quality of life, just like neurotypical children, but they must be given the chance - and they must be able to move at their own pace. The post RDI®: An Introduction to the Dynamic World first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode, Kat Lee and special guest Nargis Carnahan delve into the joys and challenges of raising a daughter on the spectrum, and how autistic girls who grow up to be autistic women have a set of their own unique challenges they must face. The post Girls and Autism first appeared on RDIconnect.

In this episode of "Autism: A New Perspective," Dr. Sheely talks about the things that might trigger a state of crisis again for some parents, how to know if you're in a crisis state, and what you can do to move yourself out of it. The post When Parents Experience Crisis first appeared on RDIconnect.

What makes us human is the product of our orientation and our engagement with a dynamic variation. So how does this fit into a world where you are resistant to change? How can you help your child, without overwhelming or stressing them out, see the world as something to be discovered and experienced? The post Autism and Resistance to Change first appeared on RDIconnect.

Why does RDI® use Consultants? When we got interested in autism, the incident was 1 in 10,000 people, and what we were seeing was parents giving their children over to “professionals”, assuming that anybody would be better with their children than they were. Dr. Gutstein and I never believed that so the consultant model was […] The post Autism, RDI® and the Importance of the RDI® Consultant first appeared on RDIconnect.

Dynamic Intelligence is thriving in a world with partial predictability and getting used to living in a world of uncertainty. The post Managing a Dynamic World Part II first appeared on RDIconnect.

Sometimes there is a misconception that RDI does not work with children who are non-verbal, that this is not for them. But Dr. Rachelle Sheely talks about her work with children on the spectrum that were non-verbal and how RDI® can be used with every child. The post RDI and Non-Verbal Children first appeared on RDIconnect.

A lot of people think there's this continuum of dynamic on one end and static on the other, where you got this opposite... That sort of the opposite of static, and it's not at all. On the one end, you've got static, but on the other end you've got chaotic or random. And that's what systems theories tell us, and there are two very important ways in which dynamic situations or systems are different from their chaotic ones. The post Managing a Dynamic World Part 1 first appeared on RDIconnect.

When you have someone older the parents are often very tired, because they've been trying so many things. It's very difficult for them to dream again. The post Teens, Adults and the RDI® Program first appeared on RDIconnect.