Comments on: Engaging Floortime (7): The “First Principle” of Floortime

By: Neil Samuels

Neil Samuels — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:28:24 +0000

“This last phrase is vague: Is Greenspan suggesting that it is via Floortime that a child will (finally) fall in love with the parents? Or, is the implication that, by properly engaging their child, the parents will (finally) “fall in love”—will love—their own child?

And that, parents of autistic children, do not love their own children?”
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That is a quite a bit leap there you are making between the first paragraph and sentence that follows, don’t you think? Simply, what he (Greenspan) is talking about, and what I can aver to, as I see on a daily basis in my own practice, as a developmental therapist, is the deepening of emotional attachment by “validating” (key word here is validating) the present behaviors of the child as “meaningful” by becoming a part of them.

By becoming a part of them, that is by “joining in with the child” we are conveying a very crucial (preverbal) message to the child that his/her actions are meaningful and therefore strengthening the basis of affect-reciprocity (two-way emotional problem solving scenarios) and thus in turn strengthening the entire social-emotional communication dynamic.

Now, is this a “deeper falling in love”, indeed it is, as it is deepening the level of empathic connectedness between child-and caregiver. Now, is this predicated upon a previous “lack of love”, absolutely not! But then again I suspect that you know that!

By: Bonnie Sayers

Bonnie Sayers — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:36:04 +0000

Very enlightening. Just the other day I was whispering when talking to Matthew and then I just mouthed the words and nothing vocal. He thought it was so funny. Once long ago I taped him on a digital recorder when he had a laughing spasm and a few times when he would be in a behavior episode I would play that for him and he would stop to listen.

maybe I don’t need to follow Dr. greenspan and just keep doing what I do.

By: ABA, Floortime, RDI: Do you combine teaching methods?

ABA, Floortime, RDI: Do you combine teaching methods? — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 13:00:47 +0000

[...] few days ago, a parent, Lisa, posted this comment on a post from over a year ago, The First Principle of Floortime, regarding [...]

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:00:38 +0000

We are going to be starting a program with our son, that combines RDI and ABA. The private therapist feels ABA alone doesn’t address the social deficits of autism. I know ABA by itself would be too rigid for our son. I’m hoping to see more providers blend various methods together, to determine which approach best suits the child. He is responding well to floortime, but we seem to have hit a plateau, hence our interest in bringing in a stronger behavioral component, without discarding the joy and affection of floortime. I believe RDI follows much the same philosophy as DIR. But as parents, we’re so uncertain if we’re doing the right thing. Does anyone have an opinion on combining methods?

By: Autism Vox » Autism Therapies From Alpha to Omega

Autism Vox » Autism Therapies From Alpha to Omega — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 21:15:46 +0000

[...] the Ped Med series on autism, describes a number of different therapies for autistic children—Floortime, RDI (Relationship Development Intervention, TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and [...]

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:37:41 +0000

That’s an important point, indeed, Lous, and thank you for making it. Just as there is much scrutiny about the origins of ABA and Lovaas therapy in Skinner’s behaviorism, so ought there to be of the origins (philosophical) of Greenspan’s Floortime, and other ever-growing treatment options for autistic children.

By: Lou

Lou — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:43:10 +0000

Why is there so much hatred between Greenspan followers and Lovaas followers. I have seen children treated by ABA and some treated by floortime, also PRT and other models. Your going to have great results with some kids and bad results with others, (Lovaas states that 47% very good outcomes, what about the other 53%?) We need to have as many different models as possible and then determine a system that enables us to figure out which model is best for which child. Nobody know if some of the 53% not responding as well to ABA if they may benifit from floortime or Pivitol response therapy or others. Both floortime and ABA followers need to get over their own issues with feeling put down for what ever reason and get both Lovaas and Greenspan and others together and start working on creating a system to have, eventually, 90+% very good outcomes.

By: Autism Vox » Early, Early Child Psychiatry: Infant Mental Health Therapy

Autism Vox » Early, Early Child Psychiatry: Infant Mental Health Therapy — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 17:07:26 +0000

[...] Greenspan’s book Engaging Autism is not as “engaged” with treating children with ASD as its cover suggests, but rather suggests that children with ASD are just like any other children. (Engaging Floortime (6): Don’t judge this book by its cover) [...]

By: Autism Vox

Autism Vox — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:06:54 +0000

[...] It is true, that all parents of autistic children vary as widely in the decisions they make about their child’s education, therapy, and treatment as there are variations on the autism spectrum. There are parents who attend every DAN Conference possible and do every biomedical intervention in the book. There are parents who think Floortime is the best educational program for their child, and parents who decide an intensive ABA program is the best choice, and parents who believe that ABA infringes on their child’s human rights. There are parents who conclude that a residential placement is the best situation for their child. [...]

By: Jannalou

Jannalou — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 21:06:45 +0000

…people who don’t know how to go beyond following the child’s lead into doing what you the therapist wants the child to do – i mean at some point in time the kiddo has to learn something other than rubbing a piece of cloth

That can be a problem.

Talented play therapists know how to work the goals into a session of following the child’s lead. For example, pretending with the cloth, counting the corners of the cloth, etc.

Another option would be to use the favoured activity as the reinforcement for doing a non-preferred activity. So the child would match three items and then get to go back to rubbing the cloth.

I like combining the two approaches.