Written by: Sonia Strueby, M.A., CCC-SLP, Founder of Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center
Originally Published: February 17, 2020 | Updated: August 27, 2026
Stanley Greenspan, M.D., and Serena Wieder, Ph.D. developed Floortime as a relationship-based approach for children with autism. Instead of following a set curriculum, this approach meets your child exactly where they are. It means literally getting down on their level and following their lead. Together, you build connection, communication, and thinking skills through play. Here’s what Floortime looks like in practice and how it might fit into your child’s support plan.
What Is Floortime?
Floortime is part of the broader DIR model (Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based). One core idea drives the whole approach: children grow best through warm, responsive relationships. Rather than directing your child toward a specific task, you follow their lead. You use their natural interests and emotions as the starting point for connection and learning.
Where Can I Do This With My Child?
This approach can happen almost anywhere. It can happen on the playground, in the bathtub, in the car, wherever your child naturally is. There’s no special equipment required. Parents get down on the floor (or wherever their child is) and play at their child’s level, following their lead rather than directing the activity.
What Does “Following My Child’s Lead” Actually Mean?
Following your child’s lead means paying close attention to their emotions, not just their actions. It means watching closely to figure out what your child is interested in and what brings them pleasure. From there, you use that interest as the doorway into richer interaction.
A parent gently pulls their child into a shared world. This helps them learn to focus and attend, relate with warmth, act with purpose, and take initiative. It also helps them build back-and-forth communication, first through gestures, and eventually through words. Ultimately, Floortime aims to help a child grow into someone who is empathetic, creative, reflective, and logical in how they engage with the world.
What Are the Six Milestones of Floortime?
Six developmental milestones organize the Floortime approach. Therapists sometimes call these functional emotional developmental capacities:
- Self-regulation and interest in the world, the foundation of managing one’s own state and engaging with surroundings
- Intimacy and engagement in relationships, forming warm connections with caregivers
- Two-way communication, learning to initiate and respond, first through gestures
- Complex communication, stringing together sequences of interaction to solve problems together
- Emotional ideas, using symbols, words, and imagination to express thoughts and feelings
- Emotional thinking, reasoning and connecting ideas logically
The Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning (ICDL) oversees the DIR/Floortime model. According to ICDL, these capacities build on each other. Later milestones depend on the foundation earlier ones create.
Who Can Floortime Help?
Greenspan and Wieder developed Floortime specifically to support children with autism, though its relationship-based approach can complement other types of support as well. Many families use it alongside speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, or other interventions rather than as a stand-alone approach. Building connection and communication skills often works best from multiple angles at once.
How Can I Learn More or Get Started?
If you think this approach might be a good fit for your child, “Engaging Autism” by Stanley Greenspan and Serena Wieder is a helpful starting point for learning more in depth. That said, a trained professional can help you apply these principles in a way that’s tailored specifically to your child.
When Should I Talk to a Professional?
You may notice that your child struggles to engage, communicate, or connect with others. Or perhaps you’re simply not sure which approach would serve your child best. Either way, it’s worth talking with a speech-language pathologist or developmental specialist. They can evaluate your child’s specific needs and recommend a plan that fits.
Looking for Support with Communication?
Looking for help with how to communicate with your child? Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center can help. Ask about our speech and language services and our free screenings to see if your child’s speech and language skills are at an age-appropriate level. Contact our team today to learn more.
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