DIR/Floortime

At TRAIN, we offer DIR/Floortime as a compassionate, child-centered alternative to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for supporting the developmental growth of neurodivergent children, including those with autism. While ABA has been a popular intervention, many families seek approaches that align more closely with their values and their child’s natural developmental progression. DIR/Floortime provides a holistic and flexible way to engage children that focuses on their emotional and relational development in a playful, meaningful context.

What is DIR/Floortime?

DIR/Floortime is a relationship-based intervention that emphasizes the importance of understanding a child’s developmental level and unique individual differences. It focuses on nurturing a child’s ability to interact, communicate, and engage with the world in meaningful ways. The "DIR" model stands for:

  • Developmental: Understanding where a child is developmentally, across social, emotional, and intellectual domains.

  • Individual Difference: Recognizing each child’s unique sensory processing, motor planning, and emotional regulation differences.

  • Relationship-Based: Building warm, trusting relationships to support growth in these developmental areas.

Floortime, a key part of DIR, is a playful, child-led interaction that invites the child into a shared, reciprocal experience, creating opportunities for emotional connection, problem-solving, and skill-building through natural, spontaneous moments of engagement.

How DIR/Floortime Helps

DIR/Floortime works by meeting your child where they are developmentally and guiding them toward higher levels of emotional, social, and intellectual functioning. It supports children in:

  • Emotional Regulation: Helping your child learn to manage their emotions and reduce frustration.

  • Communication Skills: Fostering back-and-forth communication, both verbal and non-verbal, to enhance social interaction.

  • Problem-Solving: Developing the ability to think through challenges and creatively solve problems in real time.

  • Building Relationships: Encouraging meaningful interactions with peers and family members in a fun, relaxed setting.

Why Choose DIR/Floortime Over ABA?

DIR/Floortime and ABA are both well-known therapeutic models, but they take very different approaches

  • Developmentally Driven: While ABA often focuses on modifying specific behaviors through structured reinforcement, DIR/Floortime takes a developmental approach, meeting the child where they are and building emotional, social, and cognitive skills naturally through interactions and play.

  • Focus on Relationships: DIR/Floortime emphasizes the importance of relationships, using engaging, child-led interactions to foster meaningful connections with parents, caregivers, and peers. This relationship-building is central to emotional and social development, whereas ABA typically focuses on discrete skills and behavior management.

  • Respecting Individual Differences: In DIR/Floortime, each child’s individual differences in sensory processing, emotional regulation, and communication style are celebrated and integrated into therapy. It’s a highly personalized model that recognizes and works with each child’s unique strengths and challenges, offering a more flexible alternative for families who feel ABA’s goals are too rigid.

  • Positive Emotional Engagement: DIR/Floortime focuses on positive emotional experiences and engagement, which can lead to spontaneous learning. This contrasts with ABA's often repetitive and structured methods, which some families may feel are overly task-oriented.

For families who seek a more developmental, play-based approach to supporting their child’s growth, DIR/Floortime offers an empowering alternative.