We chose play from Affect Autism

In this episode, we discuss the ViSPA, the  Visual Spatial Planning & Assessment , which is a tool used to organize activities from the book  Thinking Goes to School  by Dr. Hans Furth and Dr. Harry Wachs. The ViSPA follows the  Thinking Goes to School  book, starting with general movement thinking activities, then it gets more specific with activities such as ocular convergence where you work...

I’m especially excited about this episode’s topic, visualization and imagination, because it’s where I’m currently at with my son. We will discuss the complexity of visualization and imagination, and the role the  functional emotional developmental capacities (FEDCs)  in the  Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR®) m odel . Link to the show notes with links to key discussi...

This edition of  Parent Perspectives   features four mothers of autistic children, including one who is now a grandmother of an autistic child. We discuss their journeys, finding DIRFloortime®, the power of relationships and play, and the growth they and their families have experienced. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: http...

This edition of  Parent Perspectives   features two professionals and mothers of autistic children. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://affectautism.com/2023/09/15/panel1 Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect Autism member for bonus content and support from a like-minded community of Floortimer...

This episode, we’re discussing personal narratives and harnessing their power to impact the  Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities (FEDCs)  including expanding emotional language, the concept of hindsight (e.g., should I have reacted that way), self-reflections, and more. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://aff...

Compliance is often mistaken for readiness to learn, but compliance does not equal regulation, and regulation is necessary for learning. On the flip side, dysregulation is often seen as noncompliance. In this podcast, we discuss the connection between regulation and compliance. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://affec...

This episode’s guest is  Amanda Binns , a clinician scientist who has her PhD and is also a Speech and Language Pathologist. She’s currently the  co-lead at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital  of a student-led environment designed to support autistic children and families across the province of Ontario. She’s also an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and an  adjunct rese...

This marks the first edition of  Parent Perspectives   from  Affect Autism ! I thought it would be helpful for parents and practitioners to hear some of the things we discuss at  ICDL’s parent support meeting , which happens Mondays at 1pm Eastern time. This new podcast will include parent panels–the first one coming up in the fall–where I’ll have a number of Floortime parent guests! I’ll also hig...

This episode I am thrilled to interview Yuji Oka of the Spiral Movement Center in Toronto where my son went for their MOVEMENT program weekly for many years up until the Pandemic. Yuji is the founder and a practitioner of Adapted Spiral Praxis which is based on the bodymind somatic process. It's a child-centered modality that deals with the internal experiences of children: their physical, emo...

Occupational Therapist,  Joann Fleckenstein , and Licensed Professional Counselor,  Mike Fields , both of  Individual and Team Therapy Services  in Atlanta and Expert  Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR®)  Training Leaders are back to dive further into praxis. If you missed the last podcast,  be sure to check it out  before listening to today’s questions and answers! We...

Occupational Therapist,  Joann Fleckenstein , and Licensed Professional Counselor,  Mike Fields , both of  Individual and Team Therapy Services  in Atlanta and Expert  Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR®​)  Training Leaders are here to discuss praxis. Mike was recently a guest at the weekly  International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL)  weekly  parent suppor...

Dr. Karen Levine  is a Developmental Psychologist and a  Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR®) model  Expert based in Maine. She has a private practice specializing in treating young children, both neurodivergent and neurotypical, with a focus on anxiety and phobias. She also has a part-time appointment as a lecturer in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She teaches a...

This episode I welcome Gabriela Michaca who is a licensed school neuropsychologist and also just received her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and is a  Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR®) Model  Expert Training Leader in Los Cabos, Mexico. She recently presented at the  International DIR® Conference  in New York City about parenting styles and how to apply  Flo...

Occupational Therapist Maude Le Roux is back again this episode to discuss the sense of touch, or tactile perception, part of  the I, individual differences  in the  Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR®) model . Maude is a DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader and has a  DIR®  clinic,  A Total Approach , in Glen Mills, PA, just outside Philadelphia where I’ve brought my s...

Mary Beth Crawford is a licensed Physical therapist and  Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR®)  Expert Training Leader who founded  Baby Steps Therapy  in 2008. Mary Beth regularly provides lectures and in-service training to numerous parent groups, and medical professionals and allied health groups on the foundations of motor development, and on her unique approach to p...

This episode I’m speaking with autistic self-advocate,  Mickey Rowe , who has had a prolific and varied career as an actor, director, consultant, and public speaker. He is autistic and legally blind. He believes that our differences are our strengths and wrote about it in his book  Fearlessly Different . Mickey was our keynote speaker at the 27th annual  DIR® conference  last month in New York Cit...

We’re back this episode with  Dr. Joshua Feder , a child and family psychiatrist in Solana Beach, California. We did  a podcast on autism and medication  a few years back and this is part 2 because there is a new  Child Medication Fact Book for Psychiatric Practice, Second Edition  that just came out. Dr. Feder is here to tell us the purpose of the book and to walk us through the medication algori...

Dr. Gordon Neufeld is a developmental psychologist from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the founder of the Neufeld Institute based in Vancouver, which provides education and training for parents and professionals based on his theories, where I've taken countless courses. He's here this week to discuss two topics: Emotional well-being versus "mental health" and emotional playgr...

In our last podcast together , back in 2019, Dave Nelson and I discussed puberty and how we can best support our kids in a respectful way using a developmental approach. In this episode, we want to continue on that topic by touching on the developmental way to support our adolescents in taboo areas. Dave Nelson is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader, and...

This week I welcome Eric Goll, the creator of  Empowering Ability . I regularly watch  Eric’s weekly 5-minute video tips , attended his  free life plan workshop  and took  his online course , realizing it was what I needed for where I was at with my son entering adolescence. I still do almost everything for my child and it’s time to begin fostering his independence! I was happy to see that many of...

This episode I’m pleased to welcome new DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader, Helen Groth, as my guest to discuss the dynamic process of transitions in autism. Helen gave a fabulous presentation on transitions at the   2022 International DIRFloortime® Conference  that I took so much away from and I am so excited to welcome her this week to share her presentation material with us! Link to the show...

On this episode I’m speaking with Marla Cable, the Resource and Training Centre Coordinator at  Giant Steps School . Giant Steps is a bilingual, developmental approach, individualized private school in the public interest in Montréal, Québec with 93 students aged 4 to 21 with an autism diagnosis. They have both English and French instruction and students are grouped by age clusters. Their school w...

This episode, in Part 2,  Kieran Rose  and I will discuss late autism diagnosis and what it means. In Part 1 , we discussed a number of topics around neurodiversity including who to listen to as parents when our child is diagnosed with so many opinions out there, and the balance between what we want as parents for our children and what our kids actually need. Link to the show notes with links to k...

In this episode, part 1,  Kieran Rose  and I will discuss a number of topics around neurodiversity including who to listen to as parents when our child is diagnosed with so many opinions out there, and the balance between what we want as parents for our children and what our kids actually need. In Part 2 next episode, we’ll discuss late diagnosis and what it means. Link to the show notes with link...

This episode we’re discussing the parenting process, the intersection of the parenting experience and Nicole Mank’s professional world, and how one shaped the other. Nicole, who is a  Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Child Life Specialist in Davis, California discovered the book  Engaging Autism   when her son was seven which shaped how she parented her autistic child. Link to...