We chose play from Affect Autism

This episode we're discussing supporting regulation through the body first versus leaning on cognitive strategies to support children with pediatric occupational therapist and Advanced DIRFloortime® provider Stephanie Gagnon . Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: ⁠ https://affectautism.com/2026/07/10/body Consider joining o...

The topic of this episode is trauma through a ⁠DIR®⁠ lens. ⁠Maude Le Roux⁠ recently did ⁠a course on this topic through the International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL)⁠ and here she covers how to work with trauma clients through the ⁠Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities⁠ (FEDCs). This complements the previous trauma-related podcast episodes I’ve done with ⁠Galina Itskovich⁠ ,...

Kieran and  ⁠Michelle Rose⁠  return to the podcast to discuss their new community at The Autistic A dvoca te and Kieran's latest book,  ⁠ Autism – A Collection of Essays ⁠ .  They reflect on nearly a decade of advocacy, how the autism landscape has evolved, and why meaningful change depends on compassion, connection, and a willingness to keep learning. Link to the show notes with links to key...

Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Alex Klein, joins us this episode from Oakland, California where he is both in private practice and works at the  Kaiser Oakland Medical Center  assessing and providing therapy to both children and adults with neurodevelopmental differences. He trained with  Dr. Stanley Greenspan ,  Jake Greenspan and Tim Bleecker , and also with  Dr. Gil Tippy  and  Tina McCourt at...

⁠AUTISTIC Viewpoints⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a podcast hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Turrell Burgess⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Daria Brown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. On Episode 12, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," Turrell and Daria cover Michael Jackson: the new movie, the songs, the fandom, his intersection with DIRFloortime (what?!) and a few more surprises! Enjoy our special episode on the occasions of AUTISTIC Pride (June 18) and JUNETEE...

My guests this episode are Gwen and Gene Harshaw. At 4 years old their son Zayne was diagnosed with autism and his parents were told that he would never be able to read, button his shirt, zip zippers or tie his shoes, or connect with other people. His parents found strength through Zayne’s gifts instead of focusing on his weaknesses. Today, Zayne is a member of the band  Blue Spectrum , which is t...

Sometimes the biggest challenge parents have with their autistic children who have meltdowns is meeting the child emotionally and connecting. Here, we need to find the affect they’re having in that moment in order to support them to feel heard and understood.  Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR®)  Expert and Training Leader,  Kasheena Holder , joins us to discuss this p...

Returning guest Julia Swaigen is a registered social worker in Toronto who founded and directs Attuned Families , a clinic to help families harness the power of relationships so that parents find peace and children thrive. They offer family therapy, child therapy, parent coaching, and also work with schools. Julia is here to discuss the release of her new book entitled, You Are My Home: Stories of...

This episode falls in the month of May which is Apraxia Awareness Month. I’m pleased to welcome my friend, Brandy Jordan, the mother of a 14-year-old, non speaking, Apraxic Autistic son. She is joining us to talk about their journey. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: ⁠ https://affectautism.com/2026/05/22/apraxia/ Consider jo...

In this episode, psychologist and  Neufeld Institute  senior faculty member  Eva de Gosztonyi  shares reflections from over 50 years working in schools across Canada and explains how Gordon Neufeld’s attachment-based developmental paradigm transformed her understanding of children, behaviour, emotional regulation, and learning. Eva discusses how traditional behavioral approaches often failed the c...

Jackie Bartell is back with us this episode for a fantastic discussion about a concept so essential to the  ⁠Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship-based (DIR®) model⁠  and  ⁠Floortime⁠ , and that is that we are human  beings  not human  doings . Jackie is a retired special educator with the International Council on Development and Learning ( ⁠ICDL⁠ ) and is a  ⁠DIRFloortime® Expert T...

⁠AUTISTIC Viewpoints⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a podcast hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Turrell Burgess⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Daria Brown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. On Episode 11, returning guest Khylil Robinson joins us! Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://affectautism.com/autistic-viewpoints/⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Timestamps: 00:13 Introductions 01:27 Khylil's recent award 01:46 Khylil's sentiments about being a repeat guest 02:29 Setting up this episode's topics 03:2...

In this episode we aim to give parents and caregivers a guide for being confident enough to trust in their intuition and what they want for their children when seeking DIRFloortime® practitioners to implement a DIRFloortime® approach. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: ⁠ https://affectautism.com/2026/05/01/dialogues-7/ Consid...

⁠In our last podcast episode  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 L...

Occupational Therapist and DIR-Expert Maude Le Roux and homeschooling parent Daniela Bishop discuss the importance of clinical reasoning in  attuning to the child  by  being present , staying in the moment, sitting in discomfort and uncertainty and making inferences about the child’s internal experience in order to have an essential starting point for developmental work. Link to the show notes wit...

⁠AUTISTIC Viewpoints⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a podcast hosted by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Turrell Burgess⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Daria Brown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Episode 10 features guest KW, a Licensed Professional Counselor who was identified as AuDHD in his 30s. He lives with his neurodivergent spouse and five fur-kids in Midwest-USA. He is an artist, writer, photographer, and musician. At present, he is excited to be creating his first podcast: a music...

Returning guest, Licensed Professional Counsellor and   DIR Expert Training Leader ,  Mike Fields  from  Floortime Atlanta  and  Inneractions Therapy Services , joins us this week to discuss how we want to be creating opportunities for our children in  Floortime  rather than stealing opportunities from them. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear...

In this episode, Turkish DIR® Expert Training Leader, speech-language pathologist, and physiotherapist Kemal Colay shares his theoretical framework integrating valence and arousal within a DIR®-informed approach to support connection in his work with children, and how he uses video review as a reflective tool to support parents in recognizing and responding to their child’s unique cues in order to...

Brookes Barrack⁠ is a Speech-Language Pathologist and ⁠DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader⁠ who has a clinic just outside of Kansas City, Kansas with Occupational Therapist ⁠Emily Tritz⁠ called ⁠Kansas City Developmental Therapies⁠ where they offer ⁠DIR® services⁠ . This summer they became an official ⁠accredited DIR® Organization⁠ . She originally trained in Floortime at "the Bunker" with Drs. G...

Çiğdem Ergül   and Elif Akat are the pioneers of DIRFloortime® in Turkey. Both dedicated DIR® clinicians and Expert Training Leaders, they started at different times at ICDL’s DIR® Institute "back in the day" with Drs. Stanley Greenspan and Serena Wieder. They are deeply committed to preserving the integrity of the DIR® model and upholding the high quality of training and practice that s...

Every other week in 2026 so far, you've been hearing the audio only of one episode of the Floortime documentary, We Chose Play . This time it's Season 1, Episode 6, called, " Let's reflect " where you see an example of reviewing a Floortime video with a Floortime coach to highlight the reflection process. Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other wa...

On Episode 9 of ⁠AUTISTIC Viewpoints⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Turrell Burgess⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Daria Brown⁠⁠⁠⁠ interview Turrell's younger sister, Breanne! Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://affectautism.com/autistic-viewpoints/ ⁠Timestamps: 00:14 Introductions 01:28 Turrell's first question for his sister 02:27 What Breanne loved about Turrell 03:10 Turrell and his sister's schooling 04:45 Breanne's sense of patience, carin...

Princess Owens is parenting educator, writer, and mindfulness facilitator whose work uplifts neurodivergent families with compassion and intention. As the founder and lead consultant of Bloom Village Co ., she helps family-serving organizations build more inclusive, culturally grounded, and community-centered spaces. A dedicated neurodiversity advocate and mother of five, she brings real-life insi...

Every other week in 2026 so far, you've been hearing the audio only of one episode of the Floortime documentary,   ⁠ We Chose Play ⁠ . This time it's Season 1, Episode 5, called, "Let's play!" that includes examples of our early experiences doing Floortime ⁠ . ⁠⁠ We Chose Play ⁠ is a series documenting one family’s Floortime journey. Link to the show notes with links to key d...

This episode's guest is Krithika, a Northern California mom to an 11-year-old Autistic son, who discovered DIRFloortime® after years of traditional therapy led to more frustration than progress. That shift changed everything. Now she is a passionate advocate for her son and a connector for other families, supporting parents through social groups and serving on a community advisory board to hel...