Update: Jackie Zaldua, M.A. currently works as a full time RDI consultant at The Autism Group, Inc. in San Diego, Ca.
Relationship Development Intervention (RDI) is a ground breaking, evidence based, cognitive behavioral treatment for autism spectrum disorder.
It offers a truly unique program in that it effectively addresses relationship and social development issues that are often missing or ineffectively addressed by comparable therapies.
It is developmentally-oriented, systematic and individually paced and tailored. It aims to remediate the core deficits of autism such as: the ability to share experiences and create relationships with others, social-emotional referencing, flexible thinking and problem solving and emotion sharing communication.
The RDI program is a parent-based intervention. The role of an RDI Consultant is to coach parents in fostering the social and emotional development of their child/teen. This parent-child partnership is the crucible for learning emotion-sharing communication and the building blocks of relationship.