Portrait of a Floortime evening

There are two ways to do Floortime

The well known one is the the 20 – 30 minute session where the parent/therapist begins by observing the child and then follows the child's lead in order to create circles of communication and take the child up the developemental ladder

However there is another way

This is Floortime Philosophy as a lifestyle – this is the one that is practical for our family and the one we do most of the time !

Floortime as a lifestyle

 So here goes an evening which elucidates how Floortime can be a lifestyle

Its 4.30 in the evening  this Wednesday and I walk in after a day in the office - through the living room and coo at DH
R hears my voice and walks downstairs towards me

K : BIG smile ( Affect is Key in Floortime )
R: Smile back ( circle 1)
K : holding arms out - opening mouth as if to speak but not saying anything
R: My love!! ( this is a endearment which I usually say but because I paused - R prompts me to say( Circle 2)  and an example of a Floortime strategy – Pausing with a look of expectation
K : kneels on floor
R: steps inside hug and puts his arms around K ( circle 3)
K – what you want to do ?
R – Go upstairs ( circle 3 )
R - mama sheeping ( ie I should go to sleep )
I go lie down on the bed ( circle 4 )
K – pretends to snore loudly
R – giggles and comments "Mama Snoring" ( circle 5 ) – an example of a child with very limited speech actually using declarative language which is very difficult for kids on the spectrum ... and is also a critical skill

This goes on for a while then
R shouts – "Wake up Mama "
K Jumps out of bed ( circle 10 )

And so the circles go back and forth continuously ( I am not writing more of these down as it would be too horribly boring to read )

We are able to incorporate pretend play

R brings all the trains ( Thomas the engine series ) to the bed and they go to sleep turn by turn and make snoring noises
Example, R puts Gordon to sleep .. and looks at me expectantly
I make snoring noises for Gordon
Then R wants to do the same for Henry
So he throws Gordon on the floor

I try several times to deepen the plot- expand the imaginative story line and try to create a logical idea and work on Level 6 skills

So I pretending that Gordon is hurt with a boo boo and needs a bandaid

But to no avail

This is classic Level 5 not being able to go to Level 6

So while pretend play ( symbolic thinking ) is present – its very primitive and there is not a long and logical set of connected ideas

If he had reached Level 6 thinking – hurt Gordon could have gone to the hospital and got a bandage and henry could have got him a get well soon card

Classic Floortime

Later when R is finished with his ABA therapist and is ready for dinner ( where I hand feed him a lot of veggies ) I have a chance for some Classic Floortime

I observe the scene he is watching which is Blues Clues episode with a breakfast and a song

I modify the song on the DVD to what we are doing

So when they are warbling "Don't forget about breakfast "

I sing "Don't forget about dinner "

And so we go on The DVD , R and me

R coos apraxically "put it in a bowla " ( in a happy coincidence we are eating dinner from a bowl and so is the character Steve in the show )

So we go on throughout the show – writing in a notebook ( when Steve brings out his "handy dandy notebook")

Modifying whatever they are doing to our purposes

R has a real sparkle in his eye

Everytime I start a session with observation of what he is interested in – I am reminded of how using the child's interests to start – is crucial for entering their world and then pulling him to a shared world

Floortime as a lifestyle

Bath and bed time is a time to switch back to general Floortime Style

I ask – what we want to start with , let R decide the routine , give options on soap ,, what towel , clothes to choose right up until bedtime

As you can see we are in a continuous flow of back and forth interaction easily slipping between the two types of Floortime – "Classic Floortime" and then "Floortime Lifestyle"

We simultaneously work on more than one developmental level and get very good Self regulation, engagement , Back and forth interaction , Symbolic thinking etc

We are constantly harnessing R' intent

We try to go a little bit ahead of where we are – we attempt Level 6 ( without success but its necessary to keep trying )

And we do all this for free and with a lot of fun

I hope I am not giving you the impression of being some sort of super mom –

This is an example of a real evening – but I have been conscious and deliberate or Floortime and Floortime Goals, in order to write this post and in fact I am struck by how much more I can and should do .

Many evenings I am slacker mom –

Today for instance – as soon as I arrived home – R wanted to go to Target – then the rest of the evening whittled away with nothing much achieved

But tomorrow is another day !