Clinical Communication Consultants hosted first time Conference

DIR/FLOORTIME™ Model & Approach

And The Provision of Comprehensive Diagnoses & Intervention

For Families of Children with Problems of Relating &

Communicating including Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Conference Overview:

Toronto DIR/FLOORTIME™ Conference was committed to Families of Children with problems in relating and communicating, including children diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, and Professionals of related interest. The conference presented the developmental evidence based relational model and its integrated approach. The purpose of which was to truly form a Parent-Professional Partnership and deliver comprehensive individualized intervention that worked on improving sensory regulation, critical thinking, social language and communication. The Conference provided ample practice in viewing and discussing, profiling and developing comprehensive integrated intervention plans supported by numerous cross-disciplinary strategies and techniques to set children’s developmental progression back on to their typical developmental roadmap.

Conference Summary and Recommendations:  

Learning Goals: Participants acquired

• A beginner’s understanding of the comprehensive model, theory and intervention, which is based on developmental relational principles and individualized neurobiological profiles
• An understanding of How and Why the evidence based developmental relational model as an integrated approach works
• An understanding of the important role of family dynamics as they impact individual child and family outcomes
• Skills in administering assessment from a family focused and inter-disciplinary perspective
• Skills in how to truly form parent-professional partnerships
• An understanding of contemporary thinking about the origins of the comprehension and production of language
• An understanding of a developmental framework for assessing and treating challenges in the development of language, which integrates the sciences of child development, language development, and affective development
• Skills in generating language and communication intervention goals and strategies by integrating models of language acquisition and DIR
• Skills in identifying a child’s individual sensory profile to better understand its impact on social behaviors
• An understanding of how a child’s individual differences in sensory processing affect social engagement and reciprocity
• Key points in sensory processing affecting relating and communicating in children with ASD
• Skills in identifying sensory processing deficits in children with ASD
• Skills in identifying sensory motor strategies that will support engagement, reciprocity, and further developmental capacities in children with ASD
• Skills in developing DIR/Floortime profiles
• View a number of videotaped case presentations for demonstrations

Recommendations

• The conference was received very well. The predominant recommendations focused on:
• Sending promotional information re: future conferences to school boards;
• Holding future conferences on weekdays as opposed to weekends and allowing for a later start time;
• Need for DIR assessment and formulation of IEP and implementation of prescribed intervention in school setting;
• Less breaks throughout the day allowing for greater participation and group discussions;
• Separate dining room and ensuring the conference room is big enough;
• Fewer interruptions permitted during presentations;
• Providing handouts in PDF format, 1 week prior to conference

Download Conference Evaluation Statistics