Can RDI and ABA be done together?
A. Since the two interventions work toward different goals, with ABA teaching specific skills or behaviors and RDI teaching dynamic intelligence, it sometimes is appropriate to use the two approaches together with a child. However, since RDI involves a lifestyle philosophy and approach to teaching and parenting the child, it must be thought of as a primary intervention, not as an add-on to an ABA program. Moreover, as the guided participation relationship becomes more firmly in place, parents usually find there is less of a need to teach the child skills in such targeted ways. The parent often finds that, through the change in the nature of the relationship between them and their child, the child becomes motivated and able to pick up skills through the everyday interactions with parents (and later, other competent adults), just as a typical child does.
