DIRFloortime®
DIRFloortime® in Tampa & Brandon
Connection Comes First. Development Grows From There.
DIRFloortime® is a developmental, relationship-based approach that meets children where they are and supports development through connection, play, and meaningful interaction. At Skill Point Therapy, we follow your child’s interests, honor their individual differences, and use the relationships they trust to help communication, regulation, thinking, and independence grow.
What Does DIR® Mean?
DIR® stands for Developmental, Individual-differences, and Relationship-based.
Developmental
We look at where your child is developmentally, not simply their age or diagnosis. We support foundational abilities such as regulation, engagement, two-way communication, problem-solving, imaginative thinking, and increasingly complex interactions.
Individual Differences
Every child experiences the world differently. We consider your child’s unique sensory preferences, motor abilities, communication style, processing, regulation, interests, and individual strengths.
Relationship-Based
Relationships are at the heart of development. We use warm, trusting relationships and meaningful interactions to support connection, engagement, communication, and development.
The Official DIR® / DIRFloortime® Model
DIR® and DIRFloortime® are the official Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based model and practice developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan, Dr. Serena Wieder, and colleagues, and advanced by the International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL). Skill Point Therapy follows the principles of the official DIR®/DIRFloortime® model in our relationship-based approach to therapy.
Nicole Bilodeau, MOT, OTR/L — Owner & Pediatric Occupational Therapist — Advanced DIRFloortime® Certificate
See DIRFloortime® in Action at Skill Point Therapy
Signs Your Child May Benefit
What DIRFloortime® Can Support
DIRFloortime® Throughout Skill Point Therapy
DIRFloortime® isn’t simply an activity we pull out during a session. Its principles influence how we understand, connect with, and support children throughout Skill Point Therapy. We begin by asking: What helps this child feel regulated? What captures their interest? How do they communicate? What makes them light up?
From there, we join the child’s world and build on what already interests and engages them. We follow their lead while gently creating opportunities for longer interactions, communication, problem-solving, flexibility, and increasingly complex play. These principles are incorporated across occupational, speech, and physical therapy so our team can support the whole child, and parents are an essential part of the process.
What to Expect
Let’s Get to Know Your Child — We learn about your child’s strengths
interests, relationships, developmental abilities, individual differences, and your family’s priorities.
Understand Your Child’s Unique Profile — We look beyond a diagnosis to understand how your child regulates
connects, communicates, processes sensory information, plays, moves, and interacts.
Create an Individualized Plan — Your child’s strengths
developmental needs, interests, and family goals guide the plan, not a predetermined program.
Connect Through Play — We follow your child’s lead and use
meaningful interactions to encourage engagement, communication, problem-solving, flexibility, and development.
Bring DIRFloortime® Home — Parents are partners. We provide coaching and practical strategies that become part of play
routines, and everyday family life.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DIRFloortime?
DIRFloortime® is the practice of the DIR® model — Developmental, Individual-differences, and Relationship-based. Rather than focusing only on isolated skills or behaviors, it looks at the whole child and uses relationships, individual interests, and meaningful interactions to support development.
How is it different from ABA?
DIRFloortime® is a developmental, relationship-based approach that focuses on a child’s individual differences and developmental capacities. It uses emotionally meaningful, child-led interactions to support regulation, engagement, communication, problem-solving, and increasingly complex thinking and relating. While DIRFloortime® and ABA are different models with different frameworks, DIRFloortime® places particular emphasis on relationships, individual differences, and following the child’s interests and affect within interaction.
Who is DIRFloortime for?
DIRFloortime® is widely known for supporting autistic children, but the DIR® model can be used with children with many different developmental profiles. Because the approach is individualized, we focus on each child’s developmental capacities and individual differences rather than diagnosis alone.
How are parents involved?
Parents and caregivers are an essential part of DIRFloortime®. We help families recognize their child’s cues, understand individual differences, and create meaningful back-and-forth interactions during everyday routines at home.
Connection Is Where Growth Begins
Every child deserves to feel understood, connected, and supported for exactly who they are. Through DIRFloortime®, we build on your child’s strengths and interests to create meaningful opportunities for communication, relationships, regulation, thinking, play, and independence. Let’s meet your child where they are and grow from there.