Floortime: An Autism Treatment

Finding out that your child has tested onto the autism spectrum, and is now considered to have an autism disorder is a terrifying, overpowering experience.

Your child is autistic.

Whether the diagnosis was a big surprise, or if you've been thinking something like this was possible, it's still a shock. An autism diagnosis brings questions about how to proceed. You can think of nothing else. You don't know what to do. What can be done? Not too long ago, people with autism were placed in institutions. There wasn't an autism treatment, and no one knew what to do to help. Today it's much easier, and there are things than can be done to help your child thrive and prosper, no matter where he falls on the autism spectrum.

There's no cure for autism, but treatment and education can help reduce some of autism's challenges. You can do things to lessen disruptive behaviors, and self-care skills can be taught, leading to greater independence. There's no one symptom or behavior that identifies autism, and there's no one autism treatment that works for everyone. The earlier treatment starts, the better the results will be. There is more than one treatment that brings good results, no matter the age at which treatment is started.

Floortime is one such treatment method, and it is also a philosophy for interacting with autistic children. It's based on the idea that the child can increase and build a larger circle of interaction with anyone who meets him at his current developmental level and who builds on the child's particular strengths. In Floortime, the parent engages the child at a level the child is in, enters the child's activities, and follows the child's lead. It's called Floortime because the parent gets down on the floor with the child, at his level. The goal in Floortime is to move the child through six basic developmental milestones needed for emotional and intellectual growth. The autistic child is sometimes unable to meet these naturally because of their sensory problems, processing difficulties, or poor control of physical responses. The milestones are:

1)      Self regulation and interest in the world

2)      Intimacy or a special love for the world of human relations

3)      Two-way communication

4)      Complex communication

5)      Emotional ideas

6)      Emotional thinking

It's important to match your child and his specific needs with the Autism treatment with what is appropriate for him. The only way this can be done is to meet with individuals who are qualified to make this decision. The basis for choosing any treatment plan should come from a thorough evaluation by a medical professional. Once your child's specific needs have been identified, your input and help in the autism treatment is crucial to your child's success, and treatments that you actively participate in are more likely to be effective in moving him closer to his potential.