Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder, which affects various multiple areas of a child's development. The objective of this study was to systematically review the ...available literature and appraise the effect of floortime in engaging autism disorder among children.
A systematic review was performed using PubMed, PsycINFO, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Medline. The search terms used were DIR/floor time, ASD, floortime and autism, relationship therapy and autism, floortime, and ASDs. The studies, which described floortime in engaging children with ASD, full-text available in English, the sample had no comorbid psychiatric diagnosis, and the articles published in English from 2010 to 2020 were included in the review. Twelve studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the review.
The results showed substantial progress in different levels of functioning of autistic children with floortime. Home-based floortime improved emotive functioning, communication, and daily living skills, the parent-child interactions were improved as expressed by mothers, and also certain demographic factors of the parents have significantly influenced the floortime outcome. There were no adverse events to children or parents during floortime.
In general, we concluded that floortime is a cost-effective, completely child-led approach, which could be initiated as early as possible. If started early by healthcare professionals, it can be vital in improving social and emotional development among children.
Introduction
Children in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have a qualitative deficit in social interaction. The DIR/Floortime (Stanley Greenspan and Serena Wieder) is based on the Child’s Functional ...Development, Individual Differences and Relationships (D for development, I for individuality or individual differences and R for relationship), aiming at building the foundations for social, emotional and intellectual skills of children.
Objectives
To determine the results of 18 months DIR/Floortime™ parent training for an additional benefit in encouraging children with ASD climbing the developmental “ladder”.
Methods
The participants are 15 children with ASD aged between 2 and 6 years-old. The follow-up occurs in two private DIR Floortime Model service centers in Brazil. Protocols: Functional Emotional Assessment Scale – FEAS and Functional Emotional Developmental Questionnaire – FEDQ. The participants were followed-up one on one every four months.
Results
At the first month of assessment the children showed lack of self regulation, social interaction and engagement with their parents in a symbolic, sensory and motor play setting. At the following evaluations, they showed increase of social interaction and engagement in the same play setting. Besides the high affect of the parents during the play time promoted a two way purpose communication and behavioral organization.
Conclusions
Children showed a good development of functional and emotional capacities during the study period, demonstrating the effectiveness of the DIR/Floortime model in the intervention.
Introduction
Recent changes in diagnostics criteria have contributed to the broadening of the autism spectrum disorders and left clinicians ill-equipped to treat the highly heterogeneous spectrum ...that now includes toddlers and children with sensory and motor issues.
Methods
To uncover the clinicians’ critical needs in the autism space, we conducted surveys designed collaboratively with the clinicians themselves. Board Certified Behavioral Analysts (BCBAs) and developmental model (DM) clinicians obtained permission from their accrediting boards and designed surveys to assess needs and preferences in their corresponding fields.
Results
92.6% of BCBAs are open to diversified treatment combining aspects of multiple disciplines; 82.7% of DMs also favor this diversification with 21.8% valuing BCBA-input and 40.6% neurologists-input; 85.9% of BCBAs and 85.3% of DMs advocate the use of wearables to objectively track nuanced behaviors in social exchange; 76.9% of BCBAs and 57.0% DMs feel they would benefit from augmenting their knowledge about the nervous systems of Autism (neuroscience research) to enhance treatment and planning programs; 50.0% of BCBAs feel they can benefit for more training to teach parents.
Discussion
Two complementary philosophies are converging to a more collaborative, integrative approach favoring scalable digital technologies and neuroscience. Autism practitioners seem ready to embrace the Digital-Neuroscience Revolutions under a new cooperative model.
Introduction. One of the systems that can be used in the system of palliative care for children is the Developmental Individual Relationship (DIR)/Floortime concept, which can be flexibly adapted to ...individual features of a child, and at the same time it has intelligible and clearly-defined tools for work and interaction, that take into consideration not only individual peculiarities of a patient, but also their parents and specialists.
Purpose. The purpose of the paper was to review the possibilities and prospects of using DIR/Floortime model in the system of palliative care for children.
Methodology. The paper was prepared on the basis of input from Belarusian Children's Hospice and also took into account experience of implementation of the DIR/Floortime Model (report information of ICDL’ specialists).
Results and Discussion. In the course of the work the main tasks for providing palliative care to sick children were outlined and 6 points of introduction of the DIR /Floortime concept into this system were singled out.
Conclusions. The main postulates of the DIR concept fully coincide with the modern principles of palliative support. Using DIR/Floortime Model also can solve urgent tasks of the system of palliative care for children: build a team-based, positive, supportive and safe relationship around a child and family; help to prevent conflicts; improve the emotional background of the child in care
In 2014, the early childhood developmental screening program at Banlat Hospital found 120 children with suspected developmental delay. After parents were advised about promoting child development at ...home, the one month follow up screening showed that the majority were graded as normal, while 13 children (11%) continued to have developmental delay. To help improve these children’s developmental functions, the researcher applied the Holistic approach to child development program, based on the DIR/Floortime concept in the community. This research was a pilot study with one group, pre-post test design. Subjects were 4 children with developmental delay, and 2 children with autism. All parents agreed to spend 10 hours/week interacting with the child. The community model consisted of 1) parent training (1 day) on the Holistic approach to Child Developmental Program, based on the DIR/Floortime concept 2) parent group support (once a month) 3) home visit (once a month) and 4) developmental intervention atthe clinic(once a month). Pre-post test data was collected by using; Questionnaire, Social-emotional Growth Chart (SEGC), Developmental Skills Inventory (DSI) and Parenting Stress Index (PSI), Activities at home record. The study was done over 3 months. Research findings revealed that all four children with developmental delay showed improvement in both functional emotional development, and receptive and expressive language skills. The two autistic children showed improvement in functional emotional development, but not in developmental skills measured by DSI. All parents were less stressed. The improvement, in SEGC and PSI scores of all 6 children, was statistically significant. This pilot study demonstrated preliminary evidence of positive results in implementing a Holistic Child Development program in the community. The model emphasized parents’ participation in promoting child development at home, and nurse practitioners working alongside parents to support a learning environment.
The techniques of DIR/Floortime™ have taken a certain momentum in our country. The aim of this article is to analyze the evidence on the efficacy of these techniques for which four databases have ...been searched (PsychArticles, ERIC, PubMed and Medline). After refining the documents found by applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, only 18 empirical studies were detected (7 single case studies, 3 quasi-experimental studies and 6 randomized clinical trials). Two of the studies are re-analyses of previous studies or follow-up studies. Once the different studies have been evaluated, it is concluded that more research is needed on the techniques of DIR/Floortime™. Although the evidence points to the efficacy of parental involvement and soil play techniques, the studies are very heterogeneous and do not allow any meta-analysis of results to show their efficacy.
As dwellers of our planet receive an overwhelming amount of information and live coverages of scary, traumatizing and horrifying events around the globe, anxiety takes the front seat in the clinical ...discourse. At the same time, children are even more susceptible to anxiety than adults, mainly because of lack of control over their lives, actual helplessness, operating largely on clues and adult whisper rather than on confirmed (and comprehended by them) facts; most of the time, they have no impact on own future. Excessive worry and uncertainty can manifest itself as aggression, “striking out”, low frustration tolerance and impulsivity. Another, not less important, predictor of anxiety is the ability to self-regulate and the speed with which a child can recover from stress or perceived danger and, shutting down the initial response of hypervigilance, go back to the state of homeostasis. Naturally, all the above greatly depends on individual history and patterns of resilience. Prior history of trauma is the most important marker of emerging symptoms of anxiety and anticipatory anxiety. Mechanisms of trauma processing, as well as family and individual history of trauma and vicarious traumatization should be closely examined in the process of assessment and addressed in psychotherapeutic treatment regardless of the nature and scope of presenting problems. This paper examines presenting problems of latency age children, stemming from anxiety and/or psychological trauma. The author shares her experience of addressing the above issues in psychotherapeutic work using Developmental, Individual differences and Relationship based approach (DIR®). This diagnostic and treatment model defines and describes the hierarchy of developmental capacities humans are to achieve throughout their early, formative years, individual profile (unique ways of information processing) and employing affect based therapeutic interaction to promote the development of the above. Individual profile includes motor control, praxis, visual spatial capacities and integration of sensory information supplied by five organs of sense and vestibular, visceral and proprioceptive systems, language capacities, and affective relationships. DIR® can be utilized for the purpose of differential diagnosis, as well as an invaluable philosophical base. This diagnostic and treatment paradigm allows for comprehensive scrutiny of co-occurring problems, developmental capacities and a multitude of variations in sensory, medical, familial and environmental characteristics that serve as prequel to symptoms. Additionally, DIR® lends us a treatment philosophy that leaves room for the individuality of the child. Case examples illustrate application of DIR® and utilizing elements of the DIR Floortime.
Purpose:
To review and assess theory and research supporting DIR/Floortime™, a method proposed for treatment of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Methods:
Published materials ...describing the principles of DIR/Floortime™ were evaluated. Published outcome research articles were assessed for the adequacy of their design and implementation and the extent to which their conclusions were supported.
Results:
The theoretical basis of DIR/Floortime™ appears to be generally plausible. Of the 10 outcome research articles in print, all concluding that DIR™ effectively treated ASD, five provided a comparison group, or used a randomized design, or did both. These studies failed to equalize the duration and frequency of DIR™ and the comparison treatment.
Conclusions:
DIR™ can be considered by social work practitioners as a possibility for evidence-based practice (EBP), but not as an evidence-based treatment (EBT). Further outcome research needs to concentrate not only on randomized design but on other design issues.
This article evaluates the effects of an individualized intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on the principles of the DIR/Floortime
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model, which encourages ...caregivers to follow their child's emotions and interests and to interact with them in a natural social environment to help children develop social communication skills. Twenty-five preschool children with ASD, ranging from 3 to 6 years of age, received care from an interdisciplinary team specializing in ASD intervention, which included psychologists, speech and language pathologists, and occupational therapists. The children received supportive care from these professionals based on their individual and family needs and concerns. A pre-experimental research design, pre-tests (1)- post-test (2) was given. The effects of the intervention were evaluated using the "Assessment Scale of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder," which was completed by the parents before and after the intervention. Children made significant changes in mean scores within the areas of "Social Communication" and "Sensory Processing." The results revealed that this intervention, focused on the development of relationships and interaction through play, had positive effects on the development of communication and sensory regulation with children with ASD at early ages.
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