This marks the fifth edition of DIR® Dialogues from Affect Autism. This episode features Practitioner Panels–this one featuring five Speech-Language Pathologist DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leaders exploring Gestalt Language Processing. DIR® Dialogues is an addition to the usual podcast episodes.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2025/08/15/dir-dialogues-glp/

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Returning guest, Clinical Psychologist Dr. Robert Naseef, and first-time guest, Autistic Self-Advocate and Professor of Special Education at Alephi University, Dr. Stephen Shore have recently published an article in Autism Spectrum News called Reframing Pathological Demand Avoidance: A Neurodiversity-Affirming Perspective which we discuss.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2025/08/01/pda/

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Maythe Martinez es una Líder Experta en DIRFloortime® en Mérida, México, donde fundó una escuela acreditada en DIRFloortime® llamada Senderos. Maythe es licenciada en psicología, tiene una maestría en Desarrollo Infantil y también es especialista en salud mental de la primera infancia. Senderos⁠ es una escuela bilingüe (español-inglés) de nivel preescolar y primaria que actualmente está organizando sus actividades para el campamento de verano y aceptando inscripciones para el próximo ciclo escolar.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2025/07/18/senderos-es/

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Maythe Martinez is a DIRFloortime Expert Training Leader in Merida, Mexico where she opened a DIR-accredited DIRFloortime school called "Senderos" which means "path" in English. Maythe is a licensed psychologist and an early infant/early childhood mental health specialist as well. Senderos is a (Spanish-English) bilingual preschool and elementary school currently planning their summer camp activities and accepting students for the upcoming school year.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2025/07/18/senderos/

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

This marks the fourth edition of DIR® Dialogues from Affect Autism! This episode features Practitioner Panels–this one featuring five DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leaders exploring considerations around setting limits and boundaries with our children in Floortime. DIR® Dialogues is an addition to the usual podcast episodes.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2025/07/04/limit-setting/

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

This edition of Parent Perspectives features a full-time mother, passionate advocate, and deep thinker, navigating life through the lens of a late ADHD diagnosis with her neurodivergent family. We discuss her family’s experience at their Floortime intensive at ICDL’s DIR® Institute.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2025/06/20/parent-insights/

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

This marks the third edition of DIR® Dialogues from Affect Autism! This episode features Practitioner Panels–this one featuring five international DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leaders discussing moving from being someone “doing Floortime” to becoming a “Floortime therapist.” DIR® Dialogues is an addition to the usual podcast episodes.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2025/06/06/dialogues-3/

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

This episode's guest is Tammy Bishop in Florida who has been an occupational therapist since 1999. She operates a service called Bicycle Lessons 4 All where she teaches autistic kids and individuals of all abilities to ride a bicycle. We met in a Praxis course at the STAR Institute and I like the idea of including a Floortime-adjacent topic on the podcast from time-to-time.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2025/05/23/bicycle/

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Mary Beth Stark joins us this episode from Atlanta where she has been a speech and language pathologist for over 40 years at Floortime Atlanta and is a DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader. Our topic is about pre-social abilities as pre-communication which gets into reciprocity and the development of communication. This is an update of an older podcast episode we did at the end of 2019 and is replacing it with new insights.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2025/05/09/pre-linguistics/

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Our topic for this episode is promoting agency and autonomy through the lens of DIR®-informed music therapy and how facilitators can practice within a more mindful, neurodiversity-affirming approach.

Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents