Autism Treatment - PLAY Project Interview (3 of3)

[Neilgs]

co-creating emotional-problem solving interactions-and-meaning. It is NOT a means to an end. The skills sets (cognitive, social adaptive, receptive/expressive language; overall sensory processing challenges) then tend to develop ("incidentally" or as a downstream-occurrences) in an integrated fashion; that is as part of the whole child in relationship to other, or self-in-relationship to other. The foundation is Engagement: child/caregiver affect reciprocal interactions/caregiver patterns.

[Neilgs]

There is objectivity, empirical evidence and comprehensive accountability but the difference is (e.g., in DIR/Floortime or PLAY Project) it is in the context of the intersubjectivity of Engagement; i.e., following the child's natural intent or affect. And in the context of reciprocal back and forth social-emotional engagement (i.e., doing what the child is doing, and giving meaning, adding affective/emotive variations; stretching out/lengthening nuances of reciprocal gesturing, etc., we are

[boredtvjunkie]

Are the floor time procedures and incidental teaching procedures the same?

[Neilgs]

@boredtvjunkie I am a developmental special educator who extensively practices a DIR/floortime based approach. No. Incidental teaching is not the same as DIR/floortime or The PLAY project. Incidental teaching is (still) focused on targeted behaviors; e.g., methodology as means to end to achieve certain objective targeted behavioral goals/outcomes; and still (albeit unconsciously) places a distance between primary caregivers/therapists and the child in the guise of detached objective observer.