DIR/FLOORTIME
The Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-based (DIR®/Floortime™) Model
is a framework that helps clinicians, parents and educators conduct a comprehensive
assessment and develop an intervention program tailored to the unique challenges and
strengths of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental
challenges. The objectives of the DIR®/Floortime™ Model are to build healthy foundations
for social, emotional, and intellectual capacities rather than focusing on skills and isolated
behaviors.
The D (Developmental) part of the Model describes the building blocks of this foundation.
Understanding where the child is developmentally is critical to planning a treatment
program. The Six Developmental Milestones describes the developmental milestones that
every child must master for healthy emotional and intellectual growth. This includes
helping children to develop capacities to attend and remain calm and regulated, engage
and relate to others, initiate and respond to all types of communication beginning with
emotional and social affect based gestures, engage in shared social problem-solving and
intentional behavior involving a continuous flow of interactions in a row, use ideas to
communicate needs and think and play creatively, and build bridges between ideas in
logical ways which lead to higher level capacities to think in multicausal, grey area and
reflective ways. These developmental capacities are essential for spontaneous and
empathic relationships as well as the mastery of academic skills.
The I (Individual differences) part of the Model describes the unique biologically-based
ways each child takes in, regulates, responds to, and comprehends sensations such as
sound, touch, and the planing and sequencing of actions and ideas. Some children, for
example, are very hyper responsive to touch and sound, while others are under-reactive,
and still others seek out these sensations. Biological Challenges describes the various
processing issues that make up a child's individual differences and that may be interfering
with his ability to grow and learn
The R (Relationship-based) part of the Model describes the learning relationships with
caregivers, educators, therapists, peers, and others who tailor their affect based
interactions to the child’s individual differences and developmental capacities to enable
progress in mastering the essential foundations.
What is the difference between DIR® and Floortime™ and how are they related?
Central to the DIR®/Floortime™ Model is the role of the child’s natural emotions and
interests which has been shown to be essential for learning interactions that enable the
different parts of the mind and brain to work together and to build successively higher
levels of social, emotional, and intellectual capacities. Floortime™ is a specific technique
to both follow the child’s natural emotional interests (lead) and at the same time challenge
the child towards greater and greater mastery of the social, emotional and intellectual
capacities. With young children these playful interactions may occur on the “floor”, but go
on to include conversations and interactions in other places. The DIR®/Floortime™
Model, however, is a comprehensive framework which enables clinicians, parents and
educators to construct a program tailored to the child’s unique challenges and strengths.
It often includes, in addition to Floortime™, various problem-solving exercises and
typically involves a team approach with speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational
programs, mental health (developmental-psychological) intervention and, where
appropriate, augmentative and biomedical intervention. The DIR®/Floortime™ Model
emphasizes the critical role of parents and other family members because of the
importance of their emotional relationships with the child.
MORE INFORMATION
The Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-based (DIR®/Floortime™) Model
is a framework that helps clinicians, parents and educators conduct a comprehensive
assessment and develop an intervention program tailored to the unique challenges and
strengths of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental
challenges. The objectives of the DIR®/Floortime™ Model are to build healthy foundations
for social, emotional, and intellectual capacities rather than focusing on skills and isolated
behaviors.
The D (Developmental) part of the Model describes the building blocks of this foundation.
Understanding where the child is developmentally is critical to planning a treatment
program. The Six Developmental Milestones describes the developmental milestones that
every child must master for healthy emotional and intellectual growth. This includes
helping children to develop capacities to attend and remain calm and regulated, engage
and relate to others, initiate and respond to all types of communication beginning with
emotional and social affect based gestures, engage in shared social problem-solving and
intentional behavior involving a continuous flow of interactions in a row, use ideas to
communicate needs and think and play creatively, and build bridges between ideas in
logical ways which lead to higher level capacities to think in multicausal, grey area and
reflective ways. These developmental capacities are essential for spontaneous and
empathic relationships as well as the mastery of academic skills.
The I (Individual differences) part of the Model describes the unique biologically-based
ways each child takes in, regulates, responds to, and comprehends sensations such as
sound, touch, and the planing and sequencing of actions and ideas. Some children, for
example, are very hyper responsive to touch and sound, while others are under-reactive,
and still others seek out these sensations. Biological Challenges describes the various
processing issues that make up a child's individual differences and that may be interfering
with his ability to grow and learn
The R (Relationship-based) part of the Model describes the learning relationships with
caregivers, educators, therapists, peers, and others who tailor their affect based
interactions to the child’s individual differences and developmental capacities to enable
progress in mastering the essential foundations.
What is the difference between DIR® and Floortime™ and how are they related?
Central to the DIR®/Floortime™ Model is the role of the child’s natural emotions and
interests which has been shown to be essential for learning interactions that enable the
different parts of the mind and brain to work together and to build successively higher
levels of social, emotional, and intellectual capacities. Floortime™ is a specific technique
to both follow the child’s natural emotional interests (lead) and at the same time challenge
the child towards greater and greater mastery of the social, emotional and intellectual
capacities. With young children these playful interactions may occur on the “floor”, but go
on to include conversations and interactions in other places. The DIR®/Floortime™
Model, however, is a comprehensive framework which enables clinicians, parents and
educators to construct a program tailored to the child’s unique challenges and strengths.
It often includes, in addition to Floortime™, various problem-solving exercises and
typically involves a team approach with speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational
programs, mental health (developmental-psychological) intervention and, where
appropriate, augmentative and biomedical intervention. The DIR®/Floortime™ Model
emphasizes the critical role of parents and other family members because of the
importance of their emotional relationships with the child.
MORE INFORMATION
Home Consulting Program
The P.L.A.Y. Project Home Consultant Program provides training and support for families
of young children (18 months to 6 years) with autism right in their home. Trained
consultants teach parents techniques that are effective, fun, and useful in day-to-day
interactions with their child with autism. By providing training in the home, consultants see
the family in an environment where the child feels comfortable, rather than in a setting
unfamiliar and possibly intimidating to the child.
The program is operating successfully in agencies all over the country, including non-
profit organizations such as Easter Seals, state government agencies, and private
therapy institutions.
The consultants, who have degrees in child development fields, receive intensive training
by Dr. Solomon and his supervisory staff, in the DIR®/P.L.A.Y. Project® model before
working with families. They then make 3-hour visits every four to six weeks to families’
homes to teach parents how to provide intensive, one-on-one, play-based services to
their young children with autism.
FACT SHEET ABOUT PLAY PROJECT FOR THE INLAND EMPIRE
AUTISM RESOURCES AND LINKS
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PLAY PROJECT'S DEVELOPMENT
DOWNLOAD FOR PARENTS
The P.L.A.Y. Project Home Consultant Program provides training and support for families
of young children (18 months to 6 years) with autism right in their home. Trained
consultants teach parents techniques that are effective, fun, and useful in day-to-day
interactions with their child with autism. By providing training in the home, consultants see
the family in an environment where the child feels comfortable, rather than in a setting
unfamiliar and possibly intimidating to the child.
The program is operating successfully in agencies all over the country, including non-
profit organizations such as Easter Seals, state government agencies, and private
therapy institutions.
The consultants, who have degrees in child development fields, receive intensive training
by Dr. Solomon and his supervisory staff, in the DIR®/P.L.A.Y. Project® model before
working with families. They then make 3-hour visits every four to six weeks to families’
homes to teach parents how to provide intensive, one-on-one, play-based services to
their young children with autism.
FACT SHEET ABOUT PLAY PROJECT FOR THE INLAND EMPIRE
AUTISM RESOURCES AND LINKS
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PLAY PROJECT'S DEVELOPMENT
DOWNLOAD FOR PARENTS
Play Project & Floortime
| Treatments for Autism & Regulation Problems |
| 51 West Olive Avenue Redlands, CA 92373 Phone: (909) 793-1078 FAX: (909) 335-7330 eMail: info@ccs-cares.org |
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