The DIRFloortime™ Model is a comprehensive framework which enables clinicians, parents, and educators to construct a program tailored to the child’s unique challenges and strengths. Central to the DIRFloortime™ 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 and at the same time challenge the child toward greater mastery.

The DIRFloortime™ Model typically involves an interdisciplinary team approach with speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational programs, and, where appropriate, biomedical intervention. The DIRFloortime™ Model also emphasizes the critical role of parents and other family members because of the importance of their emotional relationships with the child.

Outline of theDIR/Floortime™ Model:

The DIR®/ Floortime™ Model guide clinicians, parents and educators through a comprehensive assessment process as well as through the implementation of an integrated program consisting of interventions tailored to the child’s unique developmental profile. The following outline of the DIR®/Floortime™ Model provides a schematic view of this comprehensive, developmental approach to assessment and intervention: