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This marks the first edition of  Autistic Moms Chatting  from  Affect Autism . This episode features two autistic mothers and autistic advocates living in the United Kingdom.  Autistic Moms Chatting  is an addition to the usual podcast episodes. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: ⁠ https://affectautism.com/2025/08/26/creating...

This marks the fifth edition of  DIR® Dialogues  from  Affect Autism . This episode features Practitioner Panels–this one featuring five Speech-Language Pathologist  DIRFloortime ®  Expert Training Leaders  exploring  Gestalt Language Processing .  DIR® Dialogues  is an addition to the usual podcast episodes. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear...

Returning guest, Clinical Psychologist Dr. Robert Naseef , and first-time guest, Autistic Self-Advocate and Professor of Special Education at Alephi University , Dr. Stephen Shore have recently published an article in Autism Spectrum News called Reframing Pathological Demand Avoidance: A Neurodiversity-Affirming Perspective which we discuss. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion poin...

Maythe Martinez  es una Líder Experta en DIRFloortime® en Mérida, México, donde fundó una escuela acreditada en DIRFloortime® llamada Senderos. Maythe es licenciada en psicología, tiene una maestría en Desarrollo Infantil y también es especialista en salud mental de la primera infancia. Senderos⁠  es una escuela bilingüe (español-inglés) de nivel preescolar y primaria que actualmente está organiza...

Maythe Martinez is a DIRFloortime Expert Training Leader in Merida, Mexico where she opened a DIR-accredited DIRFloortime school called "Senderos" which means "path" in English. Maythe is a licensed psychologist and an early infant/early childhood mental health specialist as well. Senderos is a (Spanish-English) bilingual preschool and elementary school currently planning their...

This marks the fourth edition of  DIR® Dialogues  from  Affect Autism ! This episode features practitioner panels–this one featuring five  DIRFloortime ®  Expert Training Leaders  exploring considerations around setting limits and boundaries with our children in Floortime.  DIR® Dialogues  is an addition to the usual podcast episodes. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and...

This edition of  Parent Perspectives  features a full-time mother, passionate advocate, and deep thinker, navigating life through the lens of a late ADHD diagnosis with her neurodivergent family. We discuss her family’s experience at their  Floortime intensive  at  ICDL’s DIR® Institute . Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: ht...

This marks the third edition of  DIR® Dialogues  from  Affect Autism ! This episode features practitioner panels–this one featuring five international  DIRFloortime ®  Expert Training Leaders  discussing moving from being someone “doing Floortime” to becoming a “Floortime therapist.”  DIR® Dialogues  is an addition to the usual podcast episodes. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion...

This episode's guest is Tammy Bishop in Florida who has been an occupational therapist since 1999. She operates a service called Bicycle Lessons 4 All where she teaches autistic kids and individuals of all abilities to ride a bicycle. We met in a Praxis course at the STAR Institute and I like the idea of including a Floortime-adjacent topic on the podcast from time-to-time. Link to the show no...

Mary Beth Stark  joins us this episode from Atlanta where she has been a speech and language pathologist for over 40 years at  Floortime Atlanta  and is a DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader. Our topic is about pre-social abilities as pre-communication which gets into reciprocity and the development of communication. This is an update of an older podcast episode we did at the end of 2019 and is r...

Our topic for this episode is promoting agency and autonomy through the lens of DIR®-informed music therapy and how facilitators can practice within a more mindful, neurodiversity-affirming approach. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://www.icdl.com/parents Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect...

This episode's guest is Simone Tiemann who is a Floortime-trained sensory integration occupational therapist on the north coast of Spain in Santander who sees clients with developmental challenges and differences in her clinic and runs an association for 15 years now called Disfrutar El Mar which means "enjoying the sea" that offers activities at the beach and sea, including surfing,...

La invitada de este episodio es Simone Tiemann , terapeuta ocupacional de integración sensorial formada en Floortime en Santander, la costa norte de España. Atiende a pacientes con dificultades y diferencias en el desarrollo en su clínica y dirige desde hace 15 años la asociación Disfrutar El Mar , que ofrece actividades en la playa y el mar, incluyendo surf, donde voluntarios juegan y atienden a...

The International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL)  Board President , autistic self-advocate,  Dr. Emile Gouws  and I discuss April’s month of autism awareness, acceptance, and appreciation, and the need to move towards action and inclusion. What does all of this mean and how does  DIRFloortime ® fit in? https://affectautism.com/2025/03/28/april/ Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network...

En esta edición de Perspectivas de los Padres, Mary Santiago de Toronto, una madre practicante de  DIRFloortime ® conversa con Susana en Buenos Aires, Argentina, y con Lucia y Manuel en Atlanta, Georgia, sobre sus experiencias con Floortime y su participación en las reuniones virtuales de apoyo para padres lideradas por la terapeuta ocupacional y  DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader , Mili Corder...

This marks the second edition of  DIR® Dialogues   from  Affect Autism ! This new podcast features Practitioner Panels–this one featuring five international  DIRFloortime ®  Expert Training Leaders  discussing  Floortime  around the world!  DIR® Dialogues   will be an addition to the usual podcasts. I hope you will enjoy them! Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other wa...

The therapy trio from   Baby Steps Therapy , a  DIR®  clinic  offering physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy in the suburbs of Philadelphia, is here to discuss their collaborative Floortime approach used within their strengths-based studio to support growth within the   Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities (FEDCs) . Baby Steps embodies a true DIRFloortime® collaborativ...

German Psychologist Sibylle Janert is a DIRFloortime ® Expert and Training Leader who teaches courses in the UK in English, and in German in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. She also offers Floortime coaching to families over Zoom in both English and German, as well as offering family intensives in her beautiful village. She runs supervisions groups, a mastermind group, and monthly webinars on r...

On this edition of Parent Perspectives, I am interviewing three Buffalo area families about their struggles finding, accessing, and keeping DIRFloortime® services and how it has changed their view of their neurodivergent children and given them hope. Bethany is the mother six of whom two are neurodivergent, one with an autism diagnosis. They range in age from 14 to 32. Heather is the mother of thr...

This marks the first edition of DIR® Dialogues from  Affect Autism ! This new branch of the podcast will include practitioner panels–the first one featuring parent practitioners! DIR® Dialogues will be an addition to the usual podcast episodes. I hope you will enjoy them! Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://affectautis...

This episode my returning guest is DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Mike Fields where he is at several clinics including a Across All Ages , a new Floortime clinic in Avondale, a part of Atlanta. We will be discussing DIR® and the Science of Hope, a topic he presented on at the recent ICDL DIRFloortime® conference in October. This episode is dedicated...

This episode we are covering intensives at ICDL's DIR® Institute in New Jersey where families come for a week to just do Floortime and get Floortime parent coaching. My guests are two mothers of two children each. Daniela Bishop is in the Toronto area like me and Samantha Moran is from Colorado. Daniela is a registered nurse who has an 9-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old autistic son. Samanth...

This episode my guests are Educator Becky Gottlieb who is the Floortime Intensives Program Coordinator at  ICDL’s DIR® Institute in New Jersey , and Occupational Therapist,  Gretchen Kamke , who is  ICDL’s Accreditation Coordinator . Both are Expert  Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR ® )  Training Leaders who teach  certificate courses  and mentor professionals as part...

My returning guest is Dr. Colette Ryan , an Infant Mental Health Specialist who is an DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader and part of a group starting up a new Floortime school in Toyko Japan, The Neurodiversity School , as the Floortime Supervisor. Today we are covering a topic near and dear to Colette’s heart, parent self-efficacy, the topic of her recent PhD dissertation. She recently presente...

There’s been a lot of talk about how autistic girls are not recognized and diagnosed and on social media around many women being diagnosed as autistic after their children are diagnosed. Dr. Robert Naseef has been diagnosing children and adults with autism since 2008 and especially after the pandemic, he has seen an increase in females seeking diagnosis. This episode we discuss diagnosis and examp...