Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy Topic Feed

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.

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.

Read 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.

Read original article: Local Academy Educates Autistic Children

Responding to Floortime

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 16:01:21 +0000

Hi all,

I am a doctoral-level BCBA who is now studying to become a certified DIR/Floortime practitioner. I love the way it works with kids, and the joy it brings. I also have my own consulting company and can consult on inclusion, Floortime, and ABA, depending on a family's wishes.

My website is www.gurryautismconsulting.com

my blog is www.autismthought.com

Susan

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.

Read 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.

Read 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.

Guidelines for Early Identification, Screening, and Clinical Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

scottie — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:30:02 +0000

Title	Guidelines for Early Identification, Screening, and Clinical Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Greenspan SI, Brazelton TB, Cordero J, Solomon R, Bauman ML, Robinson R, Shanker S, Breinbauer C
Journal Title	Pediatrics
Year of Publication	2008
Volume	121
Issue	4
Pages	828-830
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18381546?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Full Text	Floortime may be a useful tool for creating a therapy program that meets the many needs of each child with autism. This short article describes the views of some of the top autism doctors in the country. They suggest that doctors alert the parent any time a child does not meet a healthy milestone. They suggest that watching these milestones from an early age will give a better picture of a child than merely giving an autism screen at 18 and 24 months. They also suggest that doctors tell parents about Floortime therapy. Floortime intervention can include sensory integration therapy, speech therapy, social therapy, play therapy and more.

A School for Teens with Autism

scottie — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:09:04 +0000

Teaser:

The Community School (TCS) in Decatur, Georgia, is a high school specifically for teenagers with autism and autism spectrum disorder.

Body:

The Community School (TCS) in Decatur, Georgia, is a high school specifically for teenagers with autism and autism spectrum disorder. Dave Nelson, the school's founder asks only that the boys admitted "have at least some functional language and that there's a good chance he can become part of the "community" of the school name." Along with academics found in mainstream schools, there are electives from How to Shop for Bargains to the History of Snack Food that range the interests of the students. The main form of therapy is Stanley Greenspan's D.I.R./Floortime. This intervention provides interaction between TCS students and the world around them; they work closely with one another and with their instructors.

Read original article.