Here is a short summary of the DIR -- Floortime model.
DEVELOPMENTAL
The approach focuses on helping the child climb the developmental ladder and master nine milestones – what are called functional developmental skills – that underlie our intelligence and interactions with the world.
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE
This refers to the unique way the child processes information – sensory modulation issues (hypersensitive, hyposensitive, or sensory seeking) visual and auditory challenges, and motor skill (gross and fine motor)/motor planning issues.
RELATIONSHIP-BASED
A child’s biological challenges influences how he/she interacts with others ad in turn how parents and other significant people react and interact with him/her.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONS
Underlying all this is a theory that places emotions in a primacy position in understand how development occurs. Emotions are the driving force. How well the child establishes intimacy and warmth, communicates with emotional expressions, and uses words and symbols with an emotional intent are considered basic abilities. These abilities when missing, partial, or not functioning in an age-expected manner may indicate that something has gone awry in the developmental sequence while at the same time providing us with a roadmap on how to develop an appropriate treatment approach based on a functional emotional development approach. This approach is different from the usual cognitive remediation approaches both in its focus on emotions and on the careful delineation of functional emotional developmental milestones.
The functional emotional developmental approach gives primacy to the emotions -- emotions lead the way. When we see, hear, touch, taste, smell, and move, we are providing input to our physiological system. Emotions are the first receivers of this input . They are the motivators that drive the child’s interests in the world. It begins simply, the child is aware and then emotionally involved.
Stanley Greenspan developed the DIR model and had written extensively about it. He died in 2010 shortly after finishing his latest work -- a book called The Learning Tree.
Stuart Shanker further developed on Stanley Greenspans approach with an emphasis on self-regulation — See next page
DEVELOPMENTAL
The approach focuses on helping the child climb the developmental ladder and master nine milestones – what are called functional developmental skills – that underlie our intelligence and interactions with the world.
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE
This refers to the unique way the child processes information – sensory modulation issues (hypersensitive, hyposensitive, or sensory seeking) visual and auditory challenges, and motor skill (gross and fine motor)/motor planning issues.
RELATIONSHIP-BASED
A child’s biological challenges influences how he/she interacts with others ad in turn how parents and other significant people react and interact with him/her.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONS
Underlying all this is a theory that places emotions in a primacy position in understand how development occurs. Emotions are the driving force. How well the child establishes intimacy and warmth, communicates with emotional expressions, and uses words and symbols with an emotional intent are considered basic abilities. These abilities when missing, partial, or not functioning in an age-expected manner may indicate that something has gone awry in the developmental sequence while at the same time providing us with a roadmap on how to develop an appropriate treatment approach based on a functional emotional development approach. This approach is different from the usual cognitive remediation approaches both in its focus on emotions and on the careful delineation of functional emotional developmental milestones.
The functional emotional developmental approach gives primacy to the emotions -- emotions lead the way. When we see, hear, touch, taste, smell, and move, we are providing input to our physiological system. Emotions are the first receivers of this input . They are the motivators that drive the child’s interests in the world. It begins simply, the child is aware and then emotionally involved.
Stanley Greenspan developed the DIR model and had written extensively about it. He died in 2010 shortly after finishing his latest work -- a book called The Learning Tree.
Stuart Shanker further developed on Stanley Greenspans approach with an emphasis on self-regulation — See next page