Discussion: For a parent who suspect their child may be delayed, it’s hard to know how early to intervene. A child’s speed or level of development is not always easy to determine, but you don’t necessarily need to pinpoint it to improve it. Turn the observations that concern you into action. Dr. Greenspan tells us,...
The best suggestion Dr. Greenspan can give to a parent? “Trust your own instincts,” he advises. Do your homework and “draw your own conclusions” when it comes to suspecting autism, or an autism spectrum disorder, in your child, says Dr. Greenspan. As a parent, you know your child better than anyone else, since you observe...
Discussion: As a clinician or therapist doing the family assessment, you will be able to sense if there will be a deeper resistance from the parents, states Dr. Greenspan. “They will speak about what they do and don’t do, and the ways they are comfortable or uncomfortable interacting.” After that happens, suggest that they try...
Discussion: “You always want to be following the child’s lead during Floortime and throughout the day,” says Dr. Greenspan. It’s important to remember to “never say no to a child with autism unless they are in danger; otherwise, we block the interaction, and that is where the affect is.” You don’t want to prevent the...
Discussion: “The key,” says Dr. Greenspan, “is to extend the circles of interaction.” Once a child is somewhat engaged, you always want to extend the circles of interaction and get more and more purposeful. Play dumb with the child so they have to extend the circles of communication. The ultimate goal is the continuous flow...
Discussion: “Help your child use their ideas functionally and introduce make-believe play; try to keep increasing the interaction,” emphasizes Dr. Greenspan. The world of make-believe is very important: the richer the pretending, the greater the creativity. Don’t bypass the pretending, or else you’ll lose out later on when you’re wondering why the child isn’t being...
If your child has autism, should you push them to play with you? Or, should you leave them alone? What should you do about self-stimulatory play? How can you create down time for yourself and your child with autism? There are different types of ways to create “downtime” if your child has autism, notes Dr....
Helping The Whole Child is a series of workshops designed to explain how Dr. Greenspan’s work can benefit all children, Greenspan Social-Emotional. Dr. Greenspan believed strongly that whatever your goals for a child are they have to be addressed holistically. This means understanding how all the “pieces” fit together, how they affect one another, and...
The Greenspan Floortime Approach is a system developed by the late Dr. Stanley Greenspan. Floortime meets children where they are and builds upon their strengths and abilities through creating a warm relationship and interacting. It challenges them to go further and to develop who they are rather than what their diagnosis says. In Floortime, you...
