The Thrive therapeutic approach with gifted, 2e and neurodivergent children is catered to the individual needs of each client and informed by a carefully woven integration of a range of models. Two principles that guide every interaction are respect for each person as an autonomous human being and pace—understanding that felt safety is a prerequisite for learning.

An evidence-based model often used in service delivery for neurodivergent children is Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). RDI® supports neuro-cognitive change over time by developing dynamic intelligence and the foundations that make real-life adaptation possible. The work addresses core areas that shape quality of life, including motivation, communication, emotional regulation, episodic memory, executive functioning, flexible thinking, and problem solving.

A core RDI tenant is to “follow the child’s lead,” while helping children grow self-awareness to build tolerance for uncertainty using small, safe variations, co-regulation, and spotlighting to grow flexible thinking and resilience that carries into real life. This does not mean following children around and allowing them to set “their own agenda.” Rather, the intervention promotes guided participation. Guided participation is an active, intentional design of roles, pacing, and scaffolding so the child can enter shared activity and build competence from the inside. 

For some children, the initial stages of intervention may involve developmentally appropriate cooperative play-based activities, while maintaining structure (agreement on a “we plan”) to support social communication and executive functioning goals. 

For children with more developed social cognitive and attentional readiness, the sessions may integrate direct teaching of social emotional learning lessons that support emotional literacy (e.g., what are feelings, why do we have them, how do we take care of them), consequential thinking (e.g., what happened, what do I remember, what did I miss, understanding and unpacking social situations, social problem-solving, and foundational insights for cognitive behavioral therapy),  cultivating emotional capacity (e.g., growing awareness of sensory needs and nervous systems states to grow our window of tolerance), and self-advocacy (e.g., designing personalized calming/safe spaces and learning when and how to access these supports). When appropriate, the lessons are captured in self-science journals (following the Six Seconds EQ model) or separate social story books, which clients take home when completed to serve as a resource for parents.

Influenced by dysfluencies experiences during learning in schools and other environments, some children require a mixture of play-based learning opportunities (learning-by-doing) and table-top/structured lessons. The clinician may often prepare different modalities and follow the child’s lead for the style of learning. Therapy is not linear or systemic and adapts to the unique needs of each child. 

When appropriate, the parents are encouraged to quietly (and while staying out of sight) observe and listen to the clinician work with their child, take notes and prepare questions for the clinician to encourage a collaborate approach to learning and intervention. Parents are required to participate in parents-only coaching sessions once a month in the first year of treatment (or longer depending on the child’s needs) and as needed thereafter. These sessions are set aside for parents to ask questions, learn about the strategies utilized in their child’s sessions, and receive support with presenting concerns/challenges at home, school, and other environments.

It is common for children to participate in long-term therapy at Thrive as the goals are adjusted to their changing developmental needs. Children also often need the support of a multi-disciplinary team that includes both a speech and occupational therapist (as well as other specialists when needed). Thrive clinicians often support the assembly of these teams and are skilled at collaborating with a range of providers to coordinate care. 

Thrive specializes in the treatment and support of low-support need autism (Level 1) and social communication development at ages 4 and up. Services can also include sibling, parent-child, and family sessions.