DIR Floortime Therapy for Autistic Children

DIR Floortime Therapy for Autistic Children

The journey to finding the right treatment for a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be stressful. Many treatments offer benefits such as social and communication development, but it is difficult to choose which treatments autistic children should receive to help them become fully independent in the long term. It is important to look at the whole and choose an intervention that, among other things, contributes to social-emotional development and to the ability to understand and perceive the world.

Many parents are looking for ways to expose autistic children to the power of emotions and relationships, and to educate those who struggle in these areas in preventive therapy. One such approach that is growing in popularity is DIR Floortime Therapy.

DIR Floortime therapy is effective in autistic children in several ways. This article examines how the treatment works and the benefits of this treatment for children with autism.

What is DIR Floortime Therapy?

DIR Floortime stands for Developmental Individual Differences Model Floortime and was developed by the late Dr. Stanley Greenspan to help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) communicate and use their interests and passions to develop engagement skills and symbolic thinking.

It increases logical thinking and improves communication. In the DIR Floortime class, children lead activities that involve a doctor or nurse and encourage skill development in a child-created world and settings. The approach of Dr. Greenspan emphasizes the importance of engaging a child's senses, emotions, and motor skills to create a holistic approach to supporting child development. It can be adjusted according to the age and developmental level of the child.

As the child grows, DIR Floortime becomes more conversational and focuses on creative thinking and exploring the child's interests and ideas. The highly adaptive nature of this therapy makes it a valuable choice for children in all areas of autism. Dr. Greenspan encouraged parents to observe what kind of play their child plays best (such as sensory, object, symbolic, or combination play) and determine whether the child is sensitive sensory seeking, hyporeactive, or passive.

Is DIR Floortime therapy right for my child?

Many believe that the benefits of DIR Floortime far outweigh its challenges. Dr. Gil Tippy PsyD, clinical director and founder of the Rebecca School in New York, spoke to Out Reach at the University of Vermont in 2015 about the shortcomings and challenges of Floortime: “The main struggle with DIR/Floortime is that the public and financial decision makers are somehow lulled into believing that DIR/Floortime is not further from the truth and that child development in general is too well documented and researched a criterion to be considered "evidence-based rather than practice" ... The messy graphs and charts of Applied Behavior Analysis look like what people think science should look like, but it's a trick, I'd say that's the biggest challenge for DIR.." Additionally, The Autism Resource Foundation notes that parents who practice floor time with their children require "a lot of patience, imagination, and resilience." They go on to say that "because there is very little in a certain direction (every child is different), it can be difficult to know if you are doing it right". However, the benefits can be life-changing, especially when administered by a physician. During floor time, the child has the opportunity to communicate and be connected on their terms. It has been suggested that with children where they meet, they are more likely to acquire language skills, express their needs and wants, and bond with their Floortime partner.

The Difference Between DIR Floortime Therapy and ABA Therapy DIR

Floortime is quite different from ABA. Unlike ABA therapy, talk focuses on emotional connection and development rather than behavior. Another difference is that Floortime focuses on play and the child directing the action. In addition, DIR Floortime always takes place on the floor, following the child's instructions and using whatever tools or objects they are attracted to.

Is floor time therapy screen-based?

Evidence-based studies have been found to support Floortime. Floortime is an effective therapy strategy for children with autism, according to K. Pajareya, MD, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, and K. Nopmaneejumruslers, MD, Mahidol University, Thailand. In this study, parents spent an average of 15.2 hours of floor time per week at home over three months. Bedtime was used in conjunction with the child's existing behavioral treatment.

A group of participating children reportedly made significant gains. Pajareya and Nopmaneejumruslers noted that the children who did not show a favorable result in this study were influenced by their families need for better intervention guidance and modeling to change their communication style and encourage them to interact better with the child.

Children whose parents were well-educated and were able to spend more time with their children performed significantly better (Pajareya and Nopmaneejumruslers, 2012).

Other anecdotal evidence has been reported in pediatric physical and occupational therapy. This study found that home-based floortime improved parent-child communication in preschool children with autism. Families in this study completed the 10-week Floortime program, which averaged 109.7 hours of intervention. These children improved their emotional functioning, communication, and daily life. These findings were supported by the mothers of these children, who noted improved parent-child communication. (Liao et al., 2014)

Implementing Play Therapy Techniques at Home Autism Impact, a group dedicated to "educating, empowering and supporting parents of children with developmental disabilities," has published a guide to the basics.

Bedtime at home Dr. Greenspan – Based on Tippy's research.

The guide advises autism caregivers to do the following:

Identify their child's sensory needs.

The first step outlined is to create a comfortable environment for the child, based on their sensory needs and preferences.

As mentioned above, Dr. Greenspan's website offers a downloadable guide for determining your child's sensory profile.

Any teacher, therapist, or other practitioner in your child's life can help you profile your child Observe, and play with sensory toys.

The next step is to observe and join your child's play. This is called "meeting the child where he is" or "following the child's instructions". This allows parents to understand their child's pace and preferences before joining the game.

Tell your child with autism that you want to play. Parents need to make sure their child knows that someone is interested in playing with them. Parents must support and commit to the activity their child chooses and show interest in all the moving parts of the game.

Children who feel valued and recognized for the world they create are likely to be motivated to stay engaged longer; Engage in play therapy techniques;

 Remember to engage in children's play.

This can feel like challenging the child and putting them in a play world. encourage your child to include you in their play. Then use some effects to keep the child busy. This can happen with any of the five senses. Adding sound effects or making a silly face can be interesting, for example. If your child enjoys touch, this can be a useful addition to play (such as driving a Matchbox car at the end of the arm) Keep the play routine fresh by changing the sensory toys. Finally, parents will need to change or add an element to the game. This increases playtime and prevents the child from falling into repetitive behaviors or patterns. (The Key Nuts and Bolts of a Floortime Session, 2015)

Talk to Your Child's Therapist at Foster CDC about Extending Floortime

Finding an expert is essential to the success of floortime therapy. Whether you want to use Floortime at home or see an expert practice it with your child, a pediatric therapist can provide metrics to measure your child's success and solutions to obstacles you encounter along the way. It is important to note that for optimal success with Floortime, families commit to regular practice over a long period.

If you think this might be a useful addition to your child's behavioral therapy, talk to your child's pediatrician, occupational therapist, psychiatrist, or psychologist who specializes in DIR Floortime.

Additionally, it can be helpful to add sessions to your child's school day. Many schools fulfill this request through the individual curriculum. Occupational therapists or other professionals are often open to creating exercises that parents can do at home with their children.

Don't be afraid to ask!

Bottom Line

Developing children with autism or special needs often requires the right type of individualized treatment to support their development.

DIR Floortime is a proven form of therapy that is believed to contribute to the holistic development of various skills to help autistic children succeed throughout their lives.

With proper training and referral from a therapist, parents can implement DIR Floortime strategies at home.

It is important to make sure that your autistic child can apply what they are learning at home in therapy.