Training
• Interdisciplinary Team Training Should Occur Prior to the Start of the Program
• This Should Include Everyone Involved with the Child’s Program (Parents, Teachers, Speech, OT, and PT Therapists, Aides, Specials Teachers and Home Therapists)
• Student Should be Observed at Their Current Placement by the Staff in the New Environment
• Theory Should Include an Understanding of:
• Sensory Processing Challenges
• Developmental Milestones
• Child’s Individual Strengths, Weaknesses and Needs/Goals
• An Understanding of how Processing Challenges/Developmental Profiles directly effect Learning, Socialization, Behavior and Independence
• Clearly Illustrate Practice and Principles Using Concrete Examples
• Provide Examples of Principles to be Used in the Classroom at Each Developmental Level
• Include the teacher and paraprofessionals in the development and process of devising individual Floor Time goals
• Give Clear Examples of How to Target the Child’s Individual Goals
• Provide opportunities for the teacher to observe the trainer working with child, (this could be in the home or in the educational setting). SEEING IS BELIEVING
• Break Down Concepts
• Keep it Simple
• Give Positive Feedback/Build Confidence
• Constantly Refer to the Developmental Levels and How they Relate to What You are Doing with the Child
• Be sure to explain developmental areas being targeted throughout interactions so that the teacher can make the connection that there are specific developmental areas being targeted and that this is not just “play time”
• Encourage the teacher to get down on the floor with you and work at the child’s individual level. BE POSITIVE and point out her strengths in working with the child
• Help Staff Reflect on Their own Experiences with the Child that Relate to Principles and Goals (if possible)
• Expand on staff ideas and observations of the child
• Encourage creativity, affect and ability to think on our feet when we are trying to establish OR reestablish an emotional connection
Monica G. Osgood, Celebrate the Children
• Stress and provide the understanding that every facilitator establishes their own unique connection with the child. “Everyone brings something different to the table”
• Be sure to point out past mistakes you have made while working with the child. Even those who have a great deal of training and experience with this approach still make mistakes! Our children teach us something new every day
• Provide a wealth of materials to allow the teacher and staff to do research on their own. Encourage initiative
• Speak with Team about weekly meetings to discuss progress. Many times this is difficult due to the amount of professionals involved and scheduling conflicts
• Create a communication book for all therapists to be kept in the classroom to provide consistent communication, collaboration and recommendations
• Be sure to consistently discuss the developmental areas being targeted and reflect on student progress. Often times, this may be overlooked as success may be measured by academic performance
• Due to the increasing demand for DIR in the public school systems, consultant time is limited. Make yourself available for questions and support via email or phone
• Understand that integrating a new approach is different, especially for educators who have been teaching for years. Change is not always welcome. Be patient and be sure to provide information and hands-on-training to support the approach
• Be careful not to go to fast. Tailor your interactions with staff to their individual processing needs. Break down specifics, discuss developmental levels specific to the children they are working with so they can understand
• Stress the importance of a team approach. Building a house takes a variety of specialists, all very important to creating a solid foundation
• THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS GETTING STAFF TO THINK DEVELOPMENTALLY AND UNDERSTAND THAT ACADEMICS NEED STRONG SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND COGNITIVE FOUNDATIONS TO BUILD UPON
Regulation -> Focus -> Interaction -> Thinking -> Learning -> Independence
Monica G. Osgood, Celebrate the Children
Feedback from a co-worker:
* I feel that having a moment with the trainer to catch up with the child’s progress before working with the child helps make our time more efficient. Although the trainer may have an amazing ability to evaluate a child in a short amount of time, I feel that this pre-briefing allows more time to focus on where to go and any other observations the trainer may have that I have not noticed.
** As the trainer and I work with the child, it is very useful to me when the trainer communicates verbally what we are doing. Many times I pick up information myself from the interaction, or by standing back and watching, but verbal pairing allows me the language to go back and explain the skill to my team at home. It also helps eliminate any confusion to what we are doing and what I may think the goal may be.
I also find the trainer’s method of communicating not disruptive and effective as they are very discrete and still focused on the interaction with the child while talking. Perhaps other people may need the verbal reminder that the reason you are not always stopping and looking at them is for the sole reason of keeping the child going and interested.
*** The breakdown and explanation of underlying developmental goals makes a home program that much more productive. The last time we met, we took the time at the end to even go further and make discrete goals under the core umbrella goals like unpredictability, problem solving etc. This aids me in creating a useful tool for recording data and observing plateaus of skills or mastering of skills. I feel this time at the end of our meetings is essential to the relaying and creating of information to bring back to a home program team.
**** The list of resources the trainer has given me, including videos, reading material, websites, and books have all contributed to my understanding of floortime, and the practical use of it. Although I am dying for a week or two to focus solely on this material, it has been extremely helpful and another source of information to pass down to the team at home.
***** Lastly, the green light to feel free to openly communicate with the trainer between our meetings is not only stress relieving when conflict arises, but also demonstrates your collaborative and genuine approach to making a child’s program the best it can be. I have relayed the good karma to my team at home and made sure that they realize they are free to contact me any time.
Monica G. Osgood, Celebrate the Children
