so, exactly how much are we talking?

You'll notice that I put off writing this for a good week or so. The emails are still trickling into my inbox -- how much does an RDI Program Certified Consultant actually cost? Exactly how much money are we talking? It's not an answer I'm anxious (or qualified!) to provide, as I am NOT a consultant. But, here goes anyway.

Consultants' fees all vary, depending on the area of the country they live in, the facility they are associated with, the number of clients they have time to take on, whether or not they are actually accepting new clients, and how much their new vacation home in the Bahamas is going to cost them. (I AM JUST KIDDING ABOUT THAT LAST ONE!!! I don't know ANYONE living in luxury thanks to providing RDI services.) Some consultants work faster than other. Some are more thorough than others. Some take an entire week to perform an RDA (Relationship Development Assessment) and spend 4 hours with each tape review. Some do the RDA in a handful of hours and work with the clients for about half an hour a week.

So, it's sort of impossible to say exactly what this is going to cost the average Joe Parent out there shopping for RDI services for their kid.

What I can tell you is that because YOU, the parent, are providing the actual services to your child, it is VASTLY cheaper than ABA or any other "autism program" that employs outside therapists to do the work. All you are paying for is a consultant to evaluate and help chart your path, keep you on the right road, and provide support. So obviously, in terms of money spent, you get way more bang for your buck in RDI.

What I can also tell you is that a little logical math can give you a pretty good idea of the kinds of money we're talking. Professional Therapists in this field make anywhere from $100 to $175 per hour, depending on their specific specialty (obviously a liscenced Psyhotherapist makes more money than a PT), and the area of the country they are providing services in. The RDA takes anywhere from 12 to 20 or so hours to administer, evaluate, present results and a game plan to parents, and train parents in how to go about it. A 30 minute tape review takes at least 1 hour to complete, more if communication with the client involves emails or other written evaluations. The general RDI schedule involves an RDA every 6 months and bi-weekly tape reviews. A relaxed schedule that some consultants offer includes an RDA once yearly and monthly tape reviews. And of course there are a whole array of variations between the two.

So, do the math. Then call some Consultants to get an exact figure of how much they charge. Right now the bigger problem might be finding a Consultant that is still accepting new clients, so you need to keep that in mind too. Most Consultants are either not accepting new families (since an RDI program takes many years, the Consultants work with the same families for quite some time, and there are only so many hours in the day), or have long waiting lists for available time to administer the RDA.

A list of RDI Program Certified Consultants can be found at the Connections Center website at http://www.rdiconnect.com .