Where the Greenspan Floortime Approach® — Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s original DIR/Floortime — is recognized under state Medicaid Developmental Relationship-Based Intervention (DRBI) benefits.
At a glance
- The Greenspan Floortime Approach® is Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s original DIR/Floortime intervention, delivered by clinicians certified through Stanley I. Greenspan MD Inc.
- DRBI stands for Developmental Relationship-Based Interventions — a family of evidence-based autism intervention approaches recognized by a growing number of state Medicaid programs.
- Greenspan Floortime® is the foundational DRBI intervention. Dr. Greenspan coined the term DIR/Floortime in his April 1997 and April 1998 Infancy and Early Childhood Training Courses.
- Greenspan Floortime® has state-level coverage pathways in New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington State, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Maryland, and Washington DC — through state Medicaid programs, EPSDT medical necessity, HCBS waivers, and habilitative-services insurance mandates that apply to private carriers such as CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.
- Stanley I. Greenspan MD Inc. — the Greenspan family entity that carries forward Dr. Greenspan’s clinical legacy — trains and certifies Greenspan Floortime® providers nationwide.
What is DRBI (Developmental Relationship-Based Interventions)?
Developmental Relationship-Based Interventions — commonly abbreviated DRBI — is a family of evidence-based clinical approaches that support children with autism and related developmental differences by building the child’s foundational capacities to relate, communicate, and think. DRBI approaches work through play, following the child’s lead, and expanding interactions in a co-regulated way.
Unlike behavior-focused interventions that shape observable behaviors through reinforcement, DRBI approaches build development from the inside out — engaging the child’s own natural motivations, emotional connections, and back-and-forth interactions with the people who love them. A growing number of state Medicaid programs now recognize DRBI as a distinct, reimbursable category of autism intervention alongside applied behavior analysis (ABA).
The Greenspan Floortime Approach® and DIR/Floortime
The Greenspan Floortime Approach® is Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s version of DIR/Floortime. It is the developmental intervention Dr. Greenspan coined and developed together with his longtime collaborator Dr. Serena Wieder over three decades of clinical practice, research, and teaching.
DIR stands for Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based — the framework Dr. Greenspan authored to describe how children develop, why children differ, and why relationships are the engine of that development. Floortime is the operational technique Dr. Greenspan created to put that framework into practice — meeting the child where they are, following their lead, and expanding every interaction to strengthen their ability to relate, communicate, and think.
Dr. Greenspan first coined the compound term DIR/Floortime in his April 1997 and April 1998 Infancy and Early Childhood Training Courses, hosted by Stanley I. Greenspan MD Inc. Those training courses formally introduced the DIR framework and the Floortime technique together, as a single named clinical approach — the foundation of what today is called the Greenspan Floortime Approach®.
Why the name changed after 2010
After Dr. Greenspan’s passing on April 27, 2010, Stanley I. Greenspan MD Inc. — the Greenspan family’s continuation of Dr. Greenspan’s clinical legacy — renamed the approach the Greenspan Floortime Approach® to distinguish the authentic Greenspan-lineage curriculum from other implementations of Floortime. The curriculum itself was not changed. The Greenspan Floortime Approach® is Dr. Greenspan’s original DIR/Floortime, taught by the practitioners Dr. Greenspan personally trained and endorsed, and carried forward under the direction of the Greenspan family.
This matters for families, providers, and state Medicaid programs: when a state benefit references DIR/Floortime or DRBI, it is referencing the intervention Dr. Greenspan created. Providers trained and certified under the Greenspan Floortime Approach® deliver DIR/Floortime as defined in Dr. Greenspan’s peer-reviewed publications, foundational textbooks, and original training courses.
Where the Greenspan Floortime Approach® is recognized under state Medicaid
A growing number of state Medicaid programs have established coverage pathways for DRBI and DIR/Floortime services. Below is an overview of the states where the Greenspan Floortime Approach® is directly listed as a recognized provider training pathway, or where the state’s regulatory framework recognizes DIR/Floortime as a covered developmental intervention that Greenspan Floortime® providers can deliver.
Maryland maintains one of the strongest autism insurance mandates in the country. The Maryland Habilitative Services Mandate — clarified in 2014 and expanded by the 2021 Maryland Autism Insurance Reform — requires all state-regulated individual, small-group, and large-group health plans to cover autism-related habilitative services with no age cap and no dollar cap. Covered services include behavioral health treatment, psychotherapy, psychological care (direct and consultative), physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy.
While Maryland does not maintain a discrete Medicaid billing code specifically for DRBI, private carriers subject to the mandate — including CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the state’s dominant carrier — reimburse the component clinical services that make up Greenspan Floortime® delivery when billed under standard CPT codes by Maryland-licensed clinicians. CareFirst has publicly engaged with the DRBI evidence base, publishing internal research showing developmental relationship-based interventions delivered at meaningfully lower per-member cost than behavior-only alternatives. Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) additionally covers autism-related developmental services delivered by licensed clinicians within their scope of practice.
Common CPT codes Greenspan Floortime® providers bill for component services:
- Occupational therapy: 97165 / 97166 / 97167 (evaluation), 97530 (therapeutic activities), 97110 (therapeutic exercise), 97533 (sensory integrative techniques), 97535 (self-care / home management training).
- Speech-language pathology: 92507 (individual treatment of speech, language, voice, communication), 92508 (group), 92523 / 92521 (SLP evaluation).
- Psychotherapy & mental-health: 90791 (psychiatric diagnostic evaluation), 90837 (60-minute psychotherapy), 90847 (family psychotherapy with patient present), 90853 (group psychotherapy).
- Cognitive / developmental intervention: 97129 (therapeutic interventions focused on cognitive function — initial 15 minutes), 97130 (each additional 15 minutes), 96110 (developmental screening), 96112 / 96113 (developmental testing).
- Developmental pediatrics / physician visits: 99202–99215 (evaluation and management office visits).
Coding decisions depend on the specific clinician, service, and plan. Prior authorization requirements vary. Families should confirm coverage directly with their CareFirst BCBS plan or other Maryland-regulated carrier.
The District of Columbia’s habilitative services insurance mandate — D.C. Law 16-198 — requires private health insurance plans to cover autism treatment services for children, including behavioral health treatment, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and psychotherapy. While DC does not maintain a discrete Medicaid billing code specifically for DRBI, private carriers regulated by the District — including CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the DC metro region’s dominant carrier — reimburse the component clinical services that make up Greenspan Floortime® delivery when billed under standard CPT codes by appropriately licensed clinicians (licensed occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, mental-health providers, developmental pediatricians, and psychologists). DC Medicaid additionally covers autism-related developmental services under the EPSDT benefit and through the DC Developmental Disabilities Waiver, administered by AmeriHealth Caritas DC, MedStar Family Choice DC, and CareFirst Community Health Plan DC (CHPDC).
Common CPT codes Greenspan Floortime® providers bill for component services:
- Occupational therapy: 97165 / 97166 / 97167 (evaluation), 97530 (therapeutic activities), 97110 (therapeutic exercise), 97533 (sensory integrative techniques), 97535 (self-care / home management training).
- Speech-language pathology: 92507 (individual treatment of speech, language, voice, communication), 92508 (group), 92523 / 92521 (SLP evaluation).
- Psychotherapy & mental-health: 90791 (psychiatric diagnostic evaluation), 90837 (60-minute psychotherapy), 90847 (family psychotherapy with patient present), 90853 (group psychotherapy).
- Cognitive / developmental intervention: 97129 (therapeutic interventions focused on cognitive function — initial 15 minutes), 97130 (each additional 15 minutes), 96110 (developmental screening), 96112 / 96113 (developmental testing).
- Developmental pediatrics / physician visits: 99202–99215 (evaluation and management office visits).
Coding decisions depend on the specific clinician, service, and plan. Prior authorization requirements vary. Families should confirm coverage directly with their CareFirst BCBS plan or other DC-regulated carrier.
What this means for families and providers
For families
If your child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or a related developmental difference, and you live in a state with a Medicaid DRBI or DIR/Floortime coverage pathway, your child may be eligible for developmental intervention services delivered by a Greenspan Floortime® provider — the authentic Greenspan-lineage continuation of Dr. Greenspan’s original DIR/Floortime approach.
Families in states without a discrete DRBI or DIR/Floortime Medicaid benefit may still be able to access the Greenspan Floortime Approach® through occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and mental health service pathways, delivered by licensed clinicians who have been trained in the Greenspan Floortime® curriculum.
For providers
Licensed clinicians — occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, mental health providers, developmental pediatricians, and psychologists — who have completed Greenspan Floortime® training through Stanley I. Greenspan MD Inc. deliver DIR/Floortime as defined by Dr. Greenspan’s own peer-reviewed publications and foundational training. In state Medicaid frameworks that reference DIR/Floortime or DRBI as covered modalities, Greenspan Floortime® providers deliver the modality the state benefit was designed to cover.
Frequently asked questions
About Stanley I. Greenspan MD Inc.
Stanley I. Greenspan MD Inc. is the Greenspan family corporate entity that carries forward the clinical legacy of Dr. Stanley I. Greenspan, MD. The organization trains and certifies clinicians in the Greenspan Floortime Approach® — the authentic continuation of Dr. Greenspan’s original DIR/Floortime intervention — through professional courses, certification programs, and clinical resources. Stanley I. Greenspan MD Inc. is the source of record for the Greenspan-lineage curriculum and is authorized by the Greenspan family to identify the Greenspan Floortime Approach® as Dr. Greenspan’s original DIR/Floortime.
Learn more and get started
To learn more about the Greenspan Floortime Approach® — the authentic continuation of Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s original DIR/Floortime — visit stanleygreenspan.com.
For state Medicaid coverage questions specific to your family or practice, contact us at info@stanleygreenspan.com.