Greenspan Floortime is Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s developmental intervention using child-led play to build emotional, social, and cognitive capacities through relationship.
Motor planning — the ability to sequence and execute intentional actions — is closely linked to the ability to sequence and produce intentional communication. Children who have motor planning difficulties often also have challenges with expressive communication. The Greenspan/DIR Model addresses motor differences as part of the Individual Differences profile.
In Greenspan Floortime, motor activities are pathways to communication. When a child is engaged in physical play — climbing, rolling, building — the caregiver uses these motor interactions as opportunities to open and close circles of communication. Movement and sensory experiences prime the nervous system for engagement and interaction.
Many children with autism have motor planning differences that affect intentional communication. The Greenspan/DIR approach addresses this by understanding each child’s motor profile and designing Floortime interactions that work with their motor system, creating the conditions for communication to emerge naturally.