D.I.R. Floortime®

This course presents an introduction to the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-Based model, pioneered by Dr.

Stanley Greenspan and Serena Wieder, PhD, for working with children with developmental delays. Because emotional growth is integral to both social and cognitive learning, Greenspan and Wieder maintain that subtle emotional interactions form the

building blocks of all human intelligence and the origins of the highest orders of human capacity: morality, creativity, and even consciousness itself. The DIR® model places a special emphasis on helping the child develop and strengthen the special relationships in his or her life. Because processing difficulties can be at the root of the child’s problems with relationships, learning and interactions, the model considers and addresses the child’s unique biology and processing capacities.

The DIR® framework is particularly helpful when working with children with attention, behavioral, communication, regulation and sensory issues, as well as PDD/Autism. In this course, we’ll be focusing primarily on children from 0 to 5, with applications for older children as well. This course is 1 of 3 Astra Foundation courses which, when satisfactorily completed, constitute Level B of the DIR Institutes’ certificate program.