Great video and guide to DIR Floortime, one of the only autism therapies focused on helping a child progress through the six basic developmental milestones.
DIR, which stands for Developmental, Individual difference, Relationship
based Model, is a guide for parents and educators to create appropriate
interventions for children on the spectrum centered on their current
developmental level.
Floortime therapy is a specific technique used
involving activities based on the DIR Model. This treatment method may
also include therapies such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and
problem solving exercises. It is intended to focus more on social,
emotional and intellectual capacities rather than a specific skill or
behavior. Originally started by Dr Stanley Greenspan during the 1980’s,
each part helps to build on the child’s existing strengths.
Developmental: By understanding where a child is developmentally, the clinician is able to better plan an appropriate treatment program for the child. The six steps on the developmental ladder Greenspan describes include:
Individual Differences
All children on the
spectrum tend to interpret and perceive sensory information in their own
unique way. Many children have difficulties with sensory processing
resulting in over-reactivity or under-reactivity to sensory stimuli, such
as sound and touch. They may have problems with motor planning and
sequencing. By learning what those individual differences are, a
therapist can better learn how to implement a treatment plan to be more
effective within the DIR Floortime Model.
This refers to the relationships a child has within his/her environment
including parents, teachers, peers, and caregivers who modify their
interactions to be based on the child’s current developmental level and
individual differences.
The primary goal of DIR is to help the child achieve emotional
milestones that were previously not obtained during early development and that are
crucial to learning. Through Floortime, a treatment component of the DIR Floortime model individuals in the child's life work to help the children accomplish each milestone on the developmental ladder.
Despite not being as well known or utilized as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA),
I think it would be great to incorporate the strengths of the two
interventions as a way to help a child progress developmentally. This
would involve doing activities based on the child’s social, emotional,
and intellectual capacities as determined by the DIR Model, while still
using the benefits of repetition and reinforcement that ABA provides.
The following is a video illustrating this method of treatment:
Although the video is long, I found it to not only illustrate a DIR Floortime session, but it actually shows the relevant child at 7 months old, 18 months old, 2 years old, and 3 years old. During these scenes you can clearly see his signs of autism. Then the video shows him after six months of Floortime therapy. Honestly, the difference is very profound and inspiring.
There have also been some articles to demonstrate how successful this approach can be for children.
Learning Through Interaction in Children With Autism: Preliminary Data From a Social-Communication-Based Intervention
A pilot randomized controlled trial of DIR Floortime parent training intervention for preschool children with autistic spectrum disorders
For more information about Floortime go to www.icdl.com or checkout the following:
Return to Autism Treatments page
If you haven't already, be sure to download my free eBook with the best tips and techniques for helping all children by clicking the image below!
1. What’s DIR/Floortime?. The Interdisciplinary Counsel on
Developmental and Learning Disabilities.
http://www.icdl.com/dirFloortime/overview/index.shtml. 10-6-11.
2. History of Floortime http://www.icdl.com/dirFloortime/overview/index.shtml. 10-6-11.
3. Treatments for Autism. Autism Speaks. www.autismspeaks.org. 11-22-09.