Hi, This is Manish here. I have a son Atharv, who happens to be on autism spectrum. I am now a full time parent and striving to understand neurodivergence better so I can support Atharv lead a joyful and fulfilling life. I am also a Consultant in Training with RDI - currently in last phase of professional certification program and authorized to work with neurodiverse families.

I stumbled upon RDI in 2017, when I had relocated to Mumbai and was intrigued by it. I started reading about RDI and its philosophy made sense, more than what I had witnessed in some of the therapies that Atharv received. I formally joined an RDI program in 2020 as a parent. RDI has been instrumental in helping me understand how to enable Atharv’s growth and gave me the tools to constructively engage with him - helping me complement the great work by Atharv’s teachers.

I have witnessed Atharv increasingly become self aware, started to show empathy, gradually becoming resilient to face the challenges and uncertainties of life, becoming more expressive, solving little problems and making efforts to regulate himself, which are all pre-requisites for an independent life.  Some of my experiences and learnings are captured in my blog. Importantly, RDI has helped me regain control as a parent, be more relaxed and confident about the future.