Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy Topic Feed

Early Intervention Still Proves Key in Helping Kids with Autism

scottie — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:00:00 +0000

Teaser:

This article points to yet another example of the importance of early intervention in autism.

Body:

This article points to yet another example of the importance of early intervention in autism. Rise … for baby and family, in Keene, New Hampshire is focused on helping kids who have just been diagnosed with autism, and are under the age of three. Rise is an agency that has financial ties with the NH Bureau of Developmental Services so they offer up to 10 hours a week of one-on-one care in the child’s home as well as services at Rise. Rise calls their program “Jumpstart”. It is a mixture of applied behavior analysis (ABA), floortime, and Early Start Denver Model. In the article, parents commented on how their children had increased communication and social skills.

Original Article:

Early Intervention Changes Autism's Course

Early Intervention May Improve Brain Activity in Kids with Autism

scottie — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Teaser:

A recently published study on early intervention (EI) for kids with autism showed that EI may improve brain activity.

Body:

A recently published study on early intervention (EI) for kids with autism showed that EI may improve brain activity. The EI in the study focused on improving cognitive and speech skills in children as young as a year old. One researcher, Geraldine Dawson, PhD, explained, “For the first time, parents and practitioners have evidence that early intervention can result in an improved course of both brain and behavioral development in young children. It is crucial that all children with autism have access to early intervention which can promote the most positive long-term outcomes.” The EI in the study was based on a combination of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and relationship-based approaches, such as Relation Development Intervention (RDI) and floortime.

Original Article:

Study Touts Benefits of Early Intervention for Autistic Children

California Town Gets Floor Time Therapy Support

scottie — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Teaser:

Lisel Geschke, a licensed counselor in Redlands CA, started a support group for families of kids with autism.

Body:

Lisel Geschke, a licensed counselor in Redlands CA, started a support group for families of kids with autism. The group meets once a month, at the Christian Counseling Center, with parents, caregivers, and children and focuses on floortime therapy. Geschke realized there was a need for autism therapy in the area and began the group several months ago. Geschke explained, “Parents have so many questions. So instead of doing research for each specific family, I decided to get a group together and talk about it. My goal was to bring families together to share resources and to have social emotional support.”

Original Article:

Redlands Autism Support Group Getting Off the Ground with FloorTime Therapy

Florida Youngster with Asperger's Syndrome Thrives in Early Intervention Environment

scottie — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:40:15 +0000

Teaser:

Luke's parents noticed a difference in him from their other two children from the beginning; he was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

Body:

Luke's parents noticed a difference in him from their other two children from the beginning; he was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. They got involved with a state-sponsored early intervention program, Early Steps. Luke receives occupational therapy (OT), which has been key in helping decrease his sensory integration issues. Luke's mom said they are doing floortime at home that helps with social and communication skills. Dana L. Johnson, a pediatric therapist has been working with Luke, and at not-quite-2, Luke is speaking complete sentences and learning to read.

Original Article:

Therapy Brings Son Out From His Autistic Shell and into the Arms of His Thankful Parents

Easter Seals Opens New Pre-School in Illinois for Children with Autism

scottie — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:19:26 +0000

Teaser:

Easter Seals in Peoria opened a pre-school for children with autism.

Body:

Easter Seals in Peoria opened a pre-school for children with autism. The Intensive Therapeutic Autism Program will focus on applied behavior analysis (ABA) and DIR/Floortime. This “bridge” to kindergarten will help kids increase academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. The 3-hour-a-day, 2-day-a-week program is designed to complement current early intervention services. The class team includes an early childhood educator, speech therapist, occupational therapist, a certified ABA therapist, and several aides.

Original Article:

Easter Seals to Provide Pre-School for Kids with Autism

Soaring Eagle Academy Focuses on DIR/Floortime Model for Children with Autism

scottie — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:58:05 +0000

Teaser:

Soaring Eagle Academy is the first school in the Midwest to use the Developmental Individual Difference Relationship (DIR) for its teaching model.

Body:

Soaring Eagle Academy is the first school in the Midwest to use the Developmental Individual Difference Relationship (DIR) for its teaching model. DIR is therapy based on emotional, social, and intellectual capabilities of children on the autism spectrum. Floortime is the basis of DIR, and while it may look like play, it is direct interaction between the child and the parent, therapist, or teacher. Deanna Tyrpak, co-founder of the school, explains, “Every child has a one-on-one assistant that is their floor-time player that engages them in interaction all through the day.” Along with floortime, children are provided speech, art, physical, occupational, and recreational therapists. Currently the school serves children ages 5 through 13, but their goal is to expand to help high school students.

Original Article:

Local Academy Educates Autistic Children

Helping a Child with Autism Make Friends

scottie — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Teaser:

Lisa Jo Rudy, the autism columnist at About.com, recently answered a reader’s question about helping a child with autism make friends.

Body:

Lisa Jo Rudy, the autism columnist at About.com, recently answered a reader’s question about helping a child with autism make friends. Rudy suggested that children with autism may suffer from sensory integration issues, making it difficult to communicate and interact. Therapies that Rudy suggests include: sensory integration therapy, generally offered by occupational therapists; Floortime/RDI/Play therapy, which help a child build relationships; and speech therapy, which can help the child understand and communicate with other children. In addition, camp situations and extracurricular activities that involve the child in non-threatening ways, such as swimming or horseback riding, can be useful.

Original Article:

How to Help a Child with Autism Take Part and Make Friends

Explaining the Floortime Model for Children with Autism

scottie — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:30:10 +0000

Teaser:

Each and every child on the autism spectrum has different social skills, different needs, and different levels of sensory perception.

Body:

Each and every child on the autism spectrum has different social skills, different needs, and different levels of sensory perception. One method of working with children one-on-one to develop their potential is DIR/Floortime, developed by the late Dr. Stanley Greenspan. The Developmental Individual Difference, Relationship-based Model (DIR/Floortime) is “a systematic way of working with a child to help him climb the developmental ladder; it is the heart of the developmental approach to therapy. It takes a child back to the very first milestone he may have missed and begins the developmental process anew.” Floortime involves teachers, parents, and therapists, and up to eight one-on-one 20 to 30 minute sessions a day. For example, one child loved finding dinosaurs on the computer, but did not like to interact with his classmates. His teacher developed a way to used dinasaurs as a play choice during his math and reading time. This interaction translated into increased interaction with other children.

Original Article:

More on the Floor Time Therapy Model for Children with Autism

Listening to Parents: Understanding the Impact of Autism on Families

scottie — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:28:36 +0000

Title	Listening to Parents: Understanding the Impact of Autism on Families
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Lytel J, Lopez_Garcia J, Stacey P
Journal Title	Zero to Three
Year of Publication	2008
Volume	March
Pages	46-52
URL for Abstract	http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/ZTT28-4_mar_08.pdf?docID=7246
Full Text	Every family has the right to choose the therapy program that best suits the needs of the child with autism and the family. This is a group of three essays that describe the impact of autism on three families. The first parent relied on psychotherapy for her child and herself. The second parent used occupational therapy (OT), speech therapy, and physical therapy. The third parent used Floortime therapy. In the best of worlds, a therapy program respects the choice of the family, builds on family strengths, and partners with parents.

An Introduction to Stanley Greenspan’s Clinical Thinking: Autism as an Intention Deficit Disorder

scottie — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:37:26 +0000

Title	An Introduction to Stanley Greenspan’s Clinical Thinking: Autism as an Intention Deficit Disorder
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Balamuth R
Journal Title	Journal of Infant, Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy
Year of Publication	2007
Volume	6
Issue	3
Pages	163-173
URL for Abstract	http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a794708776~db=all~order=page
Teaser	DIR therapy may help the parent to understand a child with autism and use that new understanding to build a relationship that may help the child recover from autism.
Full Text	DIR therapy may help the parent to understand a child with autism and use that new understanding to build a relationship that may help the child recover from autism. This review article describes the thoughts of Dr. Greenspan, which form the basis of the play approach to autism therapy and Floortime. This type of therapy is also known as DIR (Developmental - Individual Differences - Relationships-Based Therapy). The paper describes the basic factors that Dr. Greenspan believes should be thought about when treating a child with autism. These factors include: biology of the child, nature of the family, and the child/caregiver relationship. The article also includes a case study of a parent who learns to know her child better through DIR therapy.