2025 International DIRFloortime® cONFERENCE

Conference Description

This 10-day-long live online conference is focused on all things DIR® and DIRFloortime®.  

Through lectures, case studies, research reviews, and discussions, participants will have many opportunities throughout the 10 days to deepen their understanding of DIRFloortime and how to effectively promote development, in particular for individuals on the autism spectrum or with other neurodevelopmental differences and/or disabilities.  ASWB continuing education credit will only be awarded for the sessions listed on this page.

Please CLICK HERE for Presenter Disclosures. 

International Council on Development and Learning, provider number 1967, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/1/2024 - 8/1/2025. Social workers participating in this conference will receive up to 19.5 continuing education credits.

Social Workers seeking ASWB-approved continuing education credits must attend any of the below listed presentations. Social Workers are invited to attend any and all presentations in this conference, but ASWB credit will only be awarded for the presentations listed on this page. Social Workers may attend as few as 1 and as many as all 13 of the presentations for 1.5 to 19.5 continuing education credits. 

Attendance is required for the full length of each presentation. Some presentations will be offered twice. Please note if you attend both sessions of the same presentation, you will only be awarded credit for one. 

Social Workers seeking ASWB-approved continuing education credits must complete the feedback survey of each and every ASWB track presentation they attend in order to receive credit. Feedback surveys will be posted for each session on floortime.org. 

Participants may elect to receive a certificate of attendance and/or professional continuing education credit by paying the $25 processing fee during registration, or after the conference using the CE reporting form. Certificates will be processed automatically for those who pay the fee during registration. Those who did not pay the fee during registration will receive an email at the end of the conference on October 28th with instructions for completing the form and paying the processing fee. If you want CE credits, you must remember to complete the reporting form. We will not process CE credits without the form and we must receive the form no later than November 10th for your credits to be processed. If you do not receive an email from us on October 28th, please email us at conference@icdl.com. Once you complete your form, ICDL will confirm your attendance and that you have completed the feedback survey for each ASWB track session attended, and process your eligible credits as requested. Certificates will be available no later than 30 days after the conference ends.

Please note that continuing education credit is only provided for direct seat time. Attendance is tracked using Zoom records. Please be sure to type your name and email address correctly when logging in to each session to avoid errors in your CE credit. You will only receive credit for sessions you attend in entirety. Arriving late or leaving early will result in negating that session from your CE credits. CE credits are not provided for watching a recording. You must attend the live presentation. 

The conference content is focused on a specific product or service (DIRFloortime®) and there will be no mention of other products or services. ICDL does not receive any commercial support for this conference.

ASWB TRACK PRESENTATIONS

FEAS(t) Your Eyes: The Launchpad for Developmental Practice 

Helen Groth, MAEd, DIR-Expert

Laura Westbrook, MS, OTR/L, DIR-Expert

Level: Intermediate| Professionals | 1.5 Credits, General

Monday, October 20, 2025 8:00am - 9:30am US ET, OR

Tuesday, October 28, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the basic process of administering the FEAS

2. Reflect on the experience of a sample live scoring of the FEAS

3. Define the first 4 FEDCs as illustrated in the sample video

Being a DIRFloortimer in a Mixed Model Special Education Preschool 

Michelle Merna, LCAT, BC, DMT, DIR-Expert

Level: Intermediate| Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Monday, October 20, 2025 6:00pm - 7:30pm US ET, OR

Thursday, October 23, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss ways a Floortimer can seek support while working at a mixed model school

2. Describe at least 3 ways to promote the DIR/Floortime model within a mixed model school

3. Describe at least 3 ways to respond to critics of Floortime, while supporting your own regulation and safety

"It Just Looks Like Play": How to talk to parents about doing DIRFloortime 

Nikki Magliaro, MS, LMHC, CEIS, DIR-Expert

Megan Selchan, MA, LMHC, CEIS, DIR-Basic

Level: Intermediate | Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Tuesday, October 21, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe common misconceptions parents have about Floortime and play-based interventions

2. List strategies to start where families are at and build trust in the process      

3. Explain the why behind Floortime in accessible and compelling ways

Developing DIR Excellence Through Supervision, Mentorship and Intervision 

Liliana Radu-Dragne, MA, DIR-Expert

Dr. Gil Tippy, PsyD, DIR-Expert

Level: Advanced| Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Tuesday, October 21, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the components of reflective supervision

2. Discuss the role of the supervisor in the supervision process and will be able to define terms as supervision, supervisor, supervisee, mentoring and coaching

3. Discuss differences in functional emotional developmental capacities and the impact of reflective supervision in the before and after case presentation videos

Adapting DIRFloortime® Approach in a Hospital Outpatient Setting: Introducing the "Circle of Safety" a Visual Aid for Effective Teaching Methods 

Kingkaew Pajareya, MD, DIR-Expert

Level: Intermediate | Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Tuesday, October 21, 2025 8:00pm - 9:30pm US ET, OR

Monday, October 27, 2025 8:00am - 9:30am US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the application of DIR Floortime in a hospital setting and the challenges associated with its implementation in unfamiliar environments

2. Use the Circle of Security model, based on attachment theory, as a visual aid to facilitate understanding of child-parent dynamics

3. Explain the importance of tailored techniques and parent involvement in promoting children’s developmental progression

Testing the Limits: Psychological assessment in partnership with DIRFloortime® 

Dr. Christine Moyle, PsyD, MSEd, DIR-Proficient

Lyndsey Gillespie, MA

Ava Baker, MEd, MA, NCSP

Level: Advanced | Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Thursday, October 23, 2025 8:00am - 9:30am US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the practice and function of psychological assessment, namely cognitive testing, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the field        

2. Explain how DIRFloortime® can be used to create a supportive environment for cognitive assessment in a way that provides an accurate snapshot of what an individual can do at their best        

3. Describe how the results of robust and accurate psychological testing can provide insight into students’ individual differences and assist in tailoring programs to target each students’ strengths and challenges

DIR Against the War: Meeting parents where they are (Literally) – An experience of multimodal support groups with adults  

Galina Itskovich, LCSW-R, DIR-Expert

Level: Advanced| Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Friday, October 24, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify at least three specific ways DIRFloortime strategies can be adapted to support families dealing with trauma and stress in a group setting (Apply DIRFloortime in Contexts of Trauma)        

2. Analyze the impact of multiple processing domains in supporting parents' ability to regulate autonomic nervous system mobilization, support their children, and foster family resilience, using real examples from the presentation (Evaluate Multimodal Support Outcomes)        

3. List at least two trauma-informed DIR approaches presented, to support neurodiverse children and their families in high-stress situations (Implement Trauma-Informed Strategies)

Meaning Making in Play: Using the DIRFloortime model to support development of representational praxis and symbolic language 

Erin Forward, MSP, CCC-SLP, CLC, DIR-Expert

Dr. Karen McWaters, OTD, OTR/L, DIR-Proficient

Level: Intermediate | Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Saturday, October 25, 2025 10:00am - 11:30am US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Define play and its impact on the brain

2. Define praxis and articulate the connection between the stages of praxis/motor planning and language development

3. Identify ways in which DIRFloortime supports the expression of representational praxis and symbolic language

I-DIR: Regulating interoception throughout DIR 

Sanette Louwrens, OTR/L, DIR-Expert

Level: Advanced| Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Saturday, October 25, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Define Interoception and describe its application through the DIR model lens

2. Identify how interoception is present and harnessed within each component of the DIR Model

3. Explain the relationship between interoception and the core developmental functions of regulation, affect and reciprocity

Good Stress, Toxic Stress, Burnout and DIR: Poisons and Antidotes (And the wisdom to know the difference) 

Dr. Kathy Platzman, PhD, DIR-Expert

Level: Foundational| Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Sunday, October 26, 2025 7:00pm - 8:30pm US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Name at least three core areas related to overall well-being        

2. Identify at least three positive psychology practices that can be quickly incorporated into everyday life        

3. Use personal individual differences to address stress and identify sources of recovery and repair

Supporting Educators in a DIR School: A case study of REConnections Education Center 

Dr. Joleen Fernald, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, DIR-Expert

Level: Foundational| Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Monday, October 27, 2025 6:00pm - 7:30pm US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. List challenges educators face in the classroom        

2. Describe three strategies administrators can implement to support educators in their classroom        

3. Implement DIR in the education setting with more confidence

The Interplay of Prosody in the Mother Tongue (PMT), Affect, and Regulation in constructing emotions and social engagement 

Dr. Elizabeth Ijalba PhD, CCC-SLP, DIR-Expert

Alicia Bustos, MA, CCC-SLP, DIR-Expert

Level: Intermediate| Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Tuesday, October 28, 2025 6:00pm - 7:30pm US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the interplay of prosodic features in conveying/constructing emotions and in supporting affect and regulation        

2. Discuss prosodic features in the mother tongue (PMT) and cultural differences in how PMT is used to convey emotions     

3. List strategies and research supporting the use of PMT in the implementation of DIR

Teachers with self-reported lived experiences of anxiety with strict, cold parents, had higher capacities for emotional awareness 

Dr. Ira Glovinsky, PhD, DIR-Expert

Dr. Frances Poteet, PhD, DIR-Expert

Level: Advanced| Professionals| 1.5 Credits, General

Tuesday, October 28, 2025 8:00pm - 9:30pm US ET

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss unexpected possibilities as having value in comprehensive training, paying attention to unexpected findings, and putting aside preconceived ideas and cultivate an open mind

2. Analyze individual differences that deviate from expectations in a research or practice context, and evaluate how cultural context influences interpretation of behavior and research data

3. Engage in “in-the-moment’ dyadic co-regulation with students to guide them through interoception/mindfulness and support achieving self-regulation when needed

Target Audience

This conference track was created to offer to Social Workers, many of whom are connected to the international DIRFloortime community. This track will also benefit professionals from a range of fields including but not limited to: Speech and Language Pathologists, Counselors, Physical Therapists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Expressive Arts Therapists, and Educators. Level: Various

Cancellations/Refunds/Grievances

Cancellations are accepted up to 30 days prior to the event less a $50 processing fee. Cancellations are not accepted less than 30 days prior to conference and no refunds are provided less than 30 days prior to a conference. For detailed information please click here.

Please click here to view our grievance policy.

Accessibility

Aligned with the DIR model, continuing education offered by ICDL works to be responsive to a range of individual differences in processing, communicating, and regulating; learning differences, learning disabilities, and other forms of disability. Please click here to read more about accessibility and accommodations.