We started RDI one year ago (March 2009). Just before we started, our 26 month old son was diagnosed with Autism, at a 3 – 6 month developmental age level. We were devastated, and didn’t know how to help him. He was absorbed in his own world, spinning containers constantly, and wouldn’t respond to us no matter what we did. What had worked well when parenting our other child does not work at all for our child with Autism. We feared he may never talk, go to school, have friends, get a job, and meet his own basic needs without us. We were unsure of some of the treatment options that we had researched, but RDI seemed promising. When we met Blair, he told us that kids with autism have missed important developmental milestones. The RDI program teaches us how to help him reach these milestones that he would otherwise never reach naturally. Once we fill in these gaps, he will begin to develop more along the path of a typical child. Through the RDI program, Blair has taught us how to interact with our son in a whole new way, that is bringing him into our world. Blair has not discouraged us from seeking complimentary treatments to RDI (such as; occupational therapy, nutritional and biomedical treatments) and has helped us make valuable contacts in these areas. Our journey began with despair and hopelessness, and while bumpy at times, Blair has been there to encourage us – knowing that our influence could change our son’s fate. Now 1 year later, our son is seeking our company, and playing with us all the time. He joins us in important roles in our daily household activities; and he is already speaking in phrases. It is still early in our journey, but we have achieved far more than we ever expected. We have discovered our wonderful son, thanks to Blair guiding us through the RDI program. We could not have done this on our own. We are getting to know our true son, as his personality (that was hidden underneath his autism) is emerging. We can’t imagine where we’d be right now without Blair’s help.

– M & J, Burnaby