The Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-based model is a neurodiversity-affirming approach for supporting autistic youth.
In the 1980s, Dr. Stanley Greenspan and Dr. Serena Weider looked at the autistic population and noticed their strengths, in addition to the need for a new approach to building social relationships and engagement. DIR/Floortime looks at an individual’s development, according to Dr. Greenspan’s Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities, which reflect predictable development across the lifespan.
Dr. Stanley Greenspan is the founder of the International Council on Development and Learning, also known as ICDL, formed in 1990. ICDL continues to train professionals, coach caregivers as well as provide a variety of programs to promote understanding and education for families and professionals.
Kinder Growth Therapy has been developed with the support of ICDL. We are a DIR Accredited Organization and continue to follow all the guidelines and updates created by ICDL. We aim to bring the benefits of DIR/Floortime through home and center based support.
The Floortime Player gets down on the floor to play and interact with the child over the child’s interests. During these sessions, the player helps support the child’s regulation while climbing up the developmental ladder, to create more joyful and positive experiences for the child.
DIR/Floortime can be done anywhere at any time, and all day every day.
Check out this great introductory video to DIR/Floortime from Dr. Stanley Greenspan
DIR/Floortime takes place in a calm, familiar environment. The child’s home or our Kinder Growth Center are ideal for DIR/Floortime therapy. During a session, the Floortime Player joins in the child’s activities and follows the child’s interest and ideas. The caregiver or provider then engages the child in increasingly complex interactions. Sessions emphasize back-and-forth play. This helps build the foundation for shared attention, as well as engagement and problem solving.
Evidence Based &
Backed By Research
DIR/Floortime has gained in popularity for its neurodiversity affirming approach. There have now been many independent studies performed that have had very positive results supporting the effectiveness of DIR/Floortime therapy. Additional research can be seen here!
DIR stands for Developmental, Individual Differences and Relationship-Based.
Understanding where your child is developmentally will help you identify what areas need to be targeted. The Floortime approach has 9 Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities. The goal is to identify what Capacity your child is functioning at and which capacities require support. We aim to “fill in the gaps”. Using this information, we strengthen the current capacity to lead them to the next capacity. This is done through relationships and play.
This refers to identifying a child’s unique way of processing the world. We think about their sensory differences, their individual strengths and abilities.
Understanding where your child is developmentally will help you identify what areas need to be targeted. The Floortime approach has 9 Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities. The goal is to identify what Capacity your child is functioning at and which capacities require support. We aim to “fill in the gaps”. Using this information, we strengthen the current capacity to lead them to the next capacity. This is done through relationships and play.
