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 show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://affectautism.com/2025/06/06/dialogues-3/

Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect Autism member for bonus content and support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: ⁠⁠⁠https://affectautism.com/support/

Thank you to Ukrainian recording artist ШТАДТ (STADT) for the intro/outro song permission.

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 show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://affectautism.com/2025/05/23/bicycle/

Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect Autism member for bonus content and support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: ⁠⁠⁠https://affectautism.com/support/

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 show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://affectautism.com/2025/05/09/pre-linguistics/

Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect Autism member for bonus content and support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: ⁠⁠⁠https://affectautism.com/support/

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 show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect Autism member for bonus content and support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: ⁠⁠⁠https://affectautism.com/support/

La invitada de este episodio es Simone Tiemann, terapeuta ocupacional de integración sensorial formada en Floortime en Santander, la costa norte de España. Atiende a pacientes con dificultades y diferencias en el desarrollo en su clínica y dirige desde hace 15 años la asociación Disfrutar El Mar, que ofrece actividades en la playa y el mar, incluyendo surf, donde voluntarios juegan y atienden a niños con el enfoque Floortime.

Enlace al blog completo con los enlaces a los puntos clave de la discusión y otras formas de ver o escuchar el podcast aquí: ⁠https://affectautism.com/2025/04/11/surfing/⁠

Cuidadores: Consideren unirse a nuestra Red de Padres DIR® para recibir apoyo de una comunidad de Floortimers con intereses similares aquí: ⁠https://www.icdl.com/parents

This episode's guest is Simone Tiemann who is a Floortime-trained sensory integration occupational therapist on the north coast of Spain in Santander who sees clients with developmental challenges and differences in her clinic and runs an association for 15 years now called Disfrutar El Mar which means "enjoying the sea" that offers activities at the beach and sea, including surfing, where volunteers play with and attend to children using a Floortime 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/2025/04/11/surfing/

Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect Autism member for bonus content and support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: ⁠⁠⁠https://affectautism.com/support/

The International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL) Board President, autistic self-advocate, Dr. Emile Gouws and I discuss April’s month of autism awareness, acceptance, and appreciation, and the need to move towards action and inclusion. What does all of this mean and how does DIRFloortime® fit in?

https://affectautism.com/2025/03/28/april/

Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect Autism member for bonus content and support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: ⁠⁠⁠https://affectautism.com/support/

En esta edición de Perspectivas de los Padres, Mary Santiago de Toronto, una madre practicante de DIRFloortime® conversa con Susana en Buenos Aires, Argentina, y con Lucia y Manuel en Atlanta, Georgia, sobre sus experiencias con Floortime y su participación en las reuniones virtuales de apoyo para padres lideradas por la terapeuta ocupacional y DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader, Mili Cordero.

Enlace al blog completo con los enlaces a los puntos clave de la discusión y otras formas de ver o escuchar el podcast aquí: https://affectautism.com/2025/03/14/padres-floortime/

Cuidadores: Consideren unirse a nuestra Red de Padres DIR® para recibir apoyo de una comunidad de Floortimers con intereses similares aquí: https://www.icdl.com/parents

This marks the second edition of DIR® Dialogues from Affect Autism! This new podcast features Practitioner Panels–this one featuring five international DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leaders discussing Floortime around the world! DIR® Dialogues will be an addition to the usual podcasts. I hope you will enjoy them!

Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://affectautism.com/2025/02/28/dialogues-2/

Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect Autism member for bonus content and support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: ⁠⁠⁠https://affectautism.com/support/

Thank you to Toronto recording artist Ayria for the intro/outro song permission: https://ayria.bandcamp.com/track/infiltrating-my-way-through-the-system

The therapy trio from  Baby Steps Therapy, a DIR® clinic  offering physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy in the suburbs of Philadelphia, is here to discuss their collaborative Floortime approach used within their strengths-based studio to support growth within the  Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities (FEDCs). Baby Steps embodies a true DIRFloortime® collaborative.

Link to the show notes with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the episode here: https://affectautism.com/2025/02/14/baby-steps/

Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network or becoming an Affect Autism member for bonus content and support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://affectautism.com/support/