Floor Time

The floor time approach was developed by Stanley Greenspan M.D. and Serena Wider PhD. They describe floor time as an intensive, one-on-one experience. The goal of this approach is to help the child move through six emotional milestones. The six milestones are:

Milestone 1—Self regulation: The ability to take an interest in the sights, sounds, and sensations of the world and to calm oneself down.

Milestone 2—Intimacy: The ability to engage in relationships with other people.

Milestone 3—Two-way communication: The ability to engage in two-way communication.

Milestone 4—Complex communication: The ability to create complex gestures and string together a series of actions into an elaborate and deliberate problem-solving sequence.

Milestone 5—Emotional ideas: The ability to create ideas. Simple play, such as stacking blocks, transforms into complex fantasy play.

Milestone 6—Emotional thinking: The ability to build bridges between ideas to make them reality-based and logical.

Source: The Child With Special Needs by Stanley Greenspan M.D. and Serena Wider PhD.

Disclaimer

Autism is a complex disorder. The information presented here is, of necessity, general in nature. Please consult with a qualified professional concerning your specific questions. The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors.

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