Dr. Stuart Shanker (D.Phil) is a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Psychology, the Founder & Visionary of The MEHRIT Centre, Ltd., and Self-Reg Global Inc. One of his many books, “Calm, Alert and Learning: Classroom Strategies for Self-Regulation (2012)”, is a top-selling educational publication in Canada. Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage With Life (2016), has garnered enthusiastic reviews and media attention throughout North America and has also been published in the United Kingdom, the United States, Poland, Germany, China, South Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, Georgia and the Czech Republic. His latest books are Self-Reg Schools: A Handbook for Educators (2019) and Reframed: Self-Reg for a Just Society (2020). Dr. Shanker has been a longtime leader in DIR and a former Director on the Board of ICDL. Among many of his valuable contributions, Dr. Shanker was the co-author with Dr. Greenspan of The First Idea which is a seminal text that outlines the basis of DIR and the sixteen functional emotional developmental capacities. Click here to read more.

Humor in DIRFloortime®: Theoretical and practical considerations of co-created, socially engaging humor within DIRFloortime sessions; potential benefits for children, parents, and providers, cautions, and clinical and research directions.

While clearly parents and therapists engage in humorous interactions with children in DIRFloortime sessions, there is little written, taught or studied about the evolution or impact(s) of socially shared humor in DIRFloortime. This presentation will review the scant research about the evolution of humor in children including children with ID/DD/ASD, and the even scanter research on humor in psychotherapy or play therapy. Drs. Puccio, Tippy, and Levine will describe several forms of socially shared humor, relationships between humor and the FEDCs, and posit multiple benefits for children, parents and providers, of thoughtful incorporation of humorous interactions into DIRFloortime. They will explore potential positive impacts on relationships, and positive roles around negative affects, and emotion regulation. They will discuss cautions including the need for awareness of cultural, family and individual differences in humor preference and acceptability. They will provide some concrete approaches to incorporating humor in DIRFloortime sessions. They will propose future directions for clinical and research work around humor in DIRFloortime. This is a "must see" presentation!

Diagnosed with "Atypical Development and strong autistic tendencies" and "too sick" for outpatient treatment, Dr. Shore was recommended for institutionalization. Nonverbal until four, and with much support from his parents, teachers, wife, and others, Stephen is now a professor at Adelphi University where his research focuses on matching best practice to the needs of people with autism. Click here to read more.

At 4 years old Zayne was diagnosed with autism. Gwen will share how they found strength through Zayne’s gifts instead of focusing on his weaknesses. Today, Zayne is a member of the band Blue Spectrum which has 2 other autistic members. He taught himself to play the guitar. Music has really transformed him from a painfully shy boy to an extremely confident musician. Gwen’s son’s diagnosis has transformed her life. She will share her personal journey as a parent of a child on the spectrum and how following his passion brought him, and her and her husband Gene, to places they never expected. Click here to listen to a sample of Zayne's amazing guitar skills. His performance will be an incredible ending to our 2-day conference.