How to Create a ‘Greenspan Program’
More than Just an Intervention
Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s approach to child development was revolutionary in its comprehensiveness. He understood that a child’s progress wasn’t just about isolated skills or therapies, but about creating a cohesive and harmonious ecosystem of support. Imagine a garden: instead of just focusing on individual plants, he nurtured the soil, ensuring the entire ecosystem thrived.
He recognized the crucial role of parents as active participants in this journey. He empowered them with knowledge and understanding, enabling them to make informed decisions aligned with their child’s unique needs and strengths. This collaborative partnership between parents and professionals was essential to his vision.
Additionally, Dr. Greenspan was ahead of his time in recognizing the interconnectedness of different developmental domains. He didn’t see social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development as separate silos but as interwoven threads that contributed to a child’s overall well-being. He emphasized the importance of addressing the “whole child,” recognizing that progress in one area influenced and supported growth in others. He outlined this in his Greenspan/DIR Model.
His emphasis on intrinsic motivation was equally profound. He understood that forcing a child to learn, even with the best intentions, could be counterproductive. Instead, he advocated for creating environments where social learning was a joyful and engaging experience, fueled by the child’s natural curiosity and desire to explore.
Dr. Greenspan’s legacy extends beyond specific techniques or interventions. He left a blueprint for a truly holistic approach to child development, one that values individual differences, fosters collaboration, and prioritizes the child’s experience. It’s a model that continues to inspire and guide those who work with children, reminding us that true growth blossoms when we nurture the whole child within a supportive and responsive environment.
The Professor and the Conductor
In addition to teaching parents and professionals about his Greenspan/DIR model and Greenspan Floortime, Dr. Greenspan, functioned as the conductor of an orchestra, unifying parents, therapists, and educators around common goals and principles. He emphasized a cohesive developmental framework, ensuring all interventions were aligned with the child’s unique strengths and needs. This strengths-based approach prioritized building upon existing capacities rather than solely focusing on deficits. By recognizing and expanding upon a child’s inherent abilities, Dr. Greenspan fostered a supportive environment conducive to holistic social-emotional growth and intrinsic motivation. This facilitated a sense of agency and empowered the child to actively participate in their own development.
What this meant practically, was that if a family was doing an intervention that wasn’t Floortime, which was fine, Dr. Greenspan still made sure that the child was consistently engaged, interactive, and participating by choice within each intervention in the child’s program. Most importantly, he supported the parents in developing their own understanding of these concepts and knowledge to help them make the best decisions for their child in accordance with this ‘big picture’ social-emotional framework.
Greenspan Program and Action Plan
Greenspan Program and Action PlanUnfortunately, very few non-Greenspan Floortime professionals are using Dr. Greenspan’s work the way it was intended. They operate by using ‘Floortime’ and ‘DIR’ is only a part of a program, or a tool in their tool belt. The result is that very few professionals or parents understand how it all fits together. If you are interested in helping your child achieve their full potential with a ‘Greenspan Program’, then let the wonderful professionals at Stanley Greenspan MD Inc. support you.
Greenspan Floortime Professionals can educate you and your team and operate as the ‘conductor’ between your group of therapists and educators, unifying your team around the same strengths-based holistic child-centered goals and techniques.
- Understand your child’s developmental profile,
- identify which goals should take priority and in what sequence, and
- learn to APPLY Greenspan Floortime with a child you care for.