Floor Time (FT)

Introduction

The Floortime approach focuses on building children's emotional development though social interactions. FT challenges your child to be creative and spontaneous by having you get down on the floor and enter their world through interactive play. The creator, Dr. Stanley Greenspan, believes that this process will help develop all areas of learning by building on your child's strengths and interests in a fun and inviting way. FT is a warm creative way to build emotional connections and closer relationships.

Related Sites

How To Use Floortime
Description: This is a FloorTime Fact sheet that breaks down FloorTime into easy to read sections.

Greenspan Floortime Approach
Description: At this site, you can sign up for courses designed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan to learn more about Floortime. You will be able to watch videos of Floortime in action and read current articles about the Floortime Approach.

Books

Engaging Autism: Using the Floortime Approach to Help Children Relate, Communicate, and Think by Stanley I. Greenspan
Description: Developed by Stanley Greenspan, this book highlights his Floortime teaching approach which can be utilized very early in infancy. This book does not focus on changing behaviors, rather it showcases stepping stones for attaining emotional, social, and behavioral progression.

The Child With Special Needs: Encouraging Intellectual and Emotional Growth by Stanley I. Greenspan
Description: This collaboration by Stanley Greenspan and Serena Wieder highlights special adaptations needed for children with disabilities to meet developmental milestones. Aiding in both the intellectual as well as emotional growth for the special needs child, this book is also valuable for helping to deal with the stresses that come with the care of these children.

Tools

The Greenspan Floortime Approach Site
Description: This YouTube video shows Dr. Stanley Greenspan guiding a family through the FloorTime Approach.

DIR Floortime Short Introduction
Description: Dr. Stanley Greenspan gives a 6 minute introduction to FloorTime in his own words.

Parent Forums/Blogs

Some forums require you to sign in to Yahoo or Facebook to locate forum names.

Forum/Blog Name: Presence Learning
Description: Blog discussing Floor Time therapy for children with autism and its advantages.

Forum/Blog Name: Floortimers
Description: A forum where individuals using a Floortime approach can share ideas and provide support for one another.

Consumer Corner

Child Therapy Toys
Description: A variety of floortime teaching items including toys for active play, building, manipulation, sensory, etc.

Fat Brain Toys
Description: Toys for special needs (Autism) are highlighted at this site which can help with floortime teaching techniques.

Community Library

Floortime and Pivotal Response Training
Description: Compares Floortime to ABA, as well as an intervention that combines important features of both: Pivotal Response Training.

Early Intervention of Autism: A Case for Floor Time Approach
Description: Study showing the effectiveness of Floor Time as a method for early intervention of children with autism.

(coming soon)