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The DIRFloortime® Training Program

The DIRFloortime® Training Program

The original and official DIR® and DIRFloortime® (AKA Floortime®) training program

Welcome to the DIRFloortime® Training Program!  Our courses can generally fall into three categories:  DIR 101 introductory course, DIRFloortime® Professional Certificate courses and continuing education for families and professionals. 



2. Continuing Education Courses for Families and Professionals are open to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of autism, neurodiversity-affirming practice and human development. If a course is not designed to support parents/caregivers, it will be clearly indicated on the registration page. 

DIR 101 & DIRFloortime Professional Certificate Courses

- Professionals and Paraprofessionals

The DIRFloortime® Training Program is open to anyone who wants to learn the DIR® model and DIRFloortime® approach that is based on respectful, meaningful interactions tailored to each person's individual differences and promoting each person's development to their fullest potential.  Our program participants are professionals from various fields: Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Educators, Early Intervention Specialists, Child Care Providers, Art Therapists, Music Therapists, Physical Therapists, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Practitioners, Nurses, Physicians  and any professional that supports the development of infants, children, young adults, and adults. 

 While the DIRFloortime Certificate courses are rigorous and it can help a great deal to have an advanced degree in a related field, there are actually no college or university education prerequisites to take DIR 101 - DIR 202 or to earn a DIRFloortime Assistant (DFA) certificate.  DIR 203 (Advanced Certificate course) and DIR 204 (Expert Certificate course) have specific degree requirements.  Please see the curriculum page for specific prerequisite requirements and exceptions.  

Important! A DIRFloortime Certificate is intended to be a supplemental specialty to your current profession/occupation (occupational therapist, speech therapist, teacher, psychologist, etc.).  It is not a stand-alone certification.  As such, the DIRFloortime® certificates do not qualify, license, or otherwise certify you to work in any way that you are not already credentialed and/or licensed and/or otherwise certified by applicable local, state, national, or other entity responsible for such qualification.  The DIRFloortime® training is intended to provide you with a rich framework by which you can work within your field of practice.  

- Parents

Parents are welcomed to join our courses.  However there are a few things to know.  The DIR 101 course is designed for parents, professionals, students, and paraprofessionals. All are welcome in this course.  The DIR 201-202 courses are designed for professionals and paraprofessionals, but we welcome parents to join these as well. Parents can join in two ways:

Parents and caregivers are welcome to take our continuing education courses as well. If a course is not designed to support parents, it will be indicated on the registration page.

Professional Certificate Levels and Scope of Practice 

There are four levels of the professional DIRFloortime® Certificate Program.  Completion of the DIR 101 Introduction to DIR® and DIRFloortime® is required to enter into the professional certificate program.  The four levels are:

This is a progressive assessment-based certificate program.  This means that you must successfully complete one course at a time to progress to the next.  Also, as an assessment-based certificate program, each participant's Floortime skills are assessed using an assessment rubric and each participant must earn a passing rating in order to earn the official certificate.  We strive not to make it overly difficult and we offer much support, however we also need to ensure that every person that earns a certificate meets basic quality standards.  ICDL also arranges mentoring and tutoring for participants that need additional support to complete a given certificate or expand their skills. 

General Program Expectations

Please review our Program Curriculum page before enrolling in the program. There are specific requirements for each course and  it is the participants’ responsibility to know the course curriculum. Here are a few general guidelines for our live online courses. 

Estimated Time frame and Costs for becoming a DIR-Advanced provider

There are many variables that affect how quickly the courses can be completed.  Each level course is offered live online at least once each trimester.  Therefore, the quickest a student can earn an Advanced Certificate is one year. To register for the DIR 204 course, participants must have earned a DIRFloortime Basic Certificate at least 12 months prior and an Advanced DIRFloortime® Certificate at least 3 months prior to enrolling in DIR 204.  While we encourage students to move through the training at the pace they choose,  it is  important that each student takes enough time to digest the information, practice Floortime, and build the skills necessary to successfully complete each subsequent course. 

Regarding the cost, prices can vary and you need to check each specific course for exact prices.  At the time of posting this information in October, 2024, the current price for DIR 101 taken live online is $219.  The price for DIR 201 is $849. DIR 202 and DIR 203 are $875. Please note that all prices are in USD. There is an extra continuing education fee of $20 or $25, depending on the course.  Using these prices, the total cost to become an Advanced level provider assuming a participant passes each course successfully the first time, is $2,792 USD (without CE fees). Again, please note that prices can vary and are subject to change. 

Advanced Certificate Fast Track 

For USA-Based Licensed and/or Master's Degree Level Professionals

Due to the rapidly increasing demand for professionals with a DIRFloortime Advanced Certificate, ICDL has created a special DIRFloortime Advanced Certificate fast track.  We understand that there are situations where an Advanced certificate is being required to practice and we are helping professionals get there as quickly as possible while maintaining a high level of quality and ensuring fidelity to the Floortime approach.  Here are the steps to join the fast track option:

This is a rigorous process, but it allows professionals to begin working as an Advanced level professional in 4 months instead of a minimum of 12 months in the traditional program.  Please email us at fasttrack@icdl.com if you have any questions. 

Continuing Education & Professional Development Credits

Please check each individual course offering for available professional continuing education credits.  These CE credits are only available for courses ICDL offers directly. Each offering can vary.  We have different continuing education pages and approvals for different courses and conferences.   You must check each individual offering.  

Currently, most of ICDL's courses offer professional continuing education credits for:

In addition to courses offered by ICDL, our course catalog will also display courses licensed by ICDL that use the ICDL curriculum and are fully approved by ICDL to be official DIRFloortime® courses.  Most of our licensed courses are held outside the United States and  ICDL does not provide CE credits for these courses. These are all clearly marked.  Please contact the provider of any ICDL licensed courses to inquire about CE credits.

Continuing Education Questions?  E-mail certificates@icdl.com 

DIRFloortime Assistant Certificate

This certificate is designed for DIRFloortime "players” or technicians that are often paraprofessionals, but can also be professionals, whose primary role is to provide fun, engaging, DIR-informed interactions with clients.  DFAs must work under the supervision of a DIRFloortime® Advanced or Expert level professional. DFA certificate is not intended for parents or caregivers.

There are two routes to becoming a DFA:


DIRFloortime® Individual Mentoring

Mentoring is an important part of the DIRFloortime learning journey.  Whether you just want to expand your Floortime competency, engage in a self-reflective learning process, and/or have been recommended for mentoring following a DIRFloortime® professional certificate course like DIR 201, 202, or 203, the ICDL DIR® Institute experts are here to help.  To learn more and register, please click here.  

You can also arrange mentoring on your own by searching for mentors on our DIRectory website by clicking here. This does not include all eligible mentors, but shows all Expert Training Leaders that have indicated in their profile that this is an area they do work and would accept referrals. 

Important Training Program Policies

Below are the links to the Terms and Conditions for each Professional Certificate course. These pages explain eligibility, curriculum and case presentation requirements as well as confidentiality and other policies. Please make sure to familiarize yourself with this information before registering for a course as we are unable to process refunds if one registers for a course without meeting the stated requirements/prerequisites. If you have any questions, please email training@icdl.com.

Please note that you must take advantage of any promotions (promo codes) when you register for your course.  We are not able to issue refunds for promotions that are not entered at the time of registration.

Additional Information

Do You Want to Host a DIR® Course at Your Company, School, or in Your Community?

A Message from Dr. Greenspan

Dr. Stanley Greenspan speaking to the international interdisciplinary council at a past ICDL Conference near the end of his incredible life. We are honored that he was asking us to carry forward his life's work of promoting DIR® and bringing developmental approaches everywhere.

Other Related Training Programs

Most reputable and quality training programs, schools, agencies, and centers providing DIRFloortime trainings or services have progressed through ICDL courses or through one of ICDL's approved training providers.  There are many organizations and individuals around the world that have permission from ICDL to offer trainings and/or to use the ICDL trademarks.  We have trainers all around the world leading officially licensed or approved courses.  Most of these ICDL licensed DIR® and DIRFloortime® courses can be found on the DIR® Courses pages on this website.

In addition to the ICDL licensed DIRFloortime® courses offered by our network around the world, there are a number of other organizations that also offer separate, but still valid, DIR® training courses.  

Training Programs Recognized by ICDL:

Training Programs Not Recognized by ICDL:

Important Notes

DIR® , DIRFloortime®, and Floortime® are registered trademarks of ICDL in the USA and/or other countries internationally. Professionals or providers can only list themselves as a DIR® professional, provider, educator or describe their workplace as a DIR® clinic, school or center with the written permission of ICDL. Participants who successfully complete courses offered by ICDL will receive a certificate that states the level of competencies they have demonstrated and how they can list themselves.

While ICDL does not restrict access to DIR® and DIRFloortime® courses based on professional licenses or certifications, it is each individual person’s responsibility to ensure that they are only practicing or working within the legal and ethical scope of their professional field and the country, state, district, or region they practice.