Engaging Autism: Using the Floortime Approach to Help Children Relate, Communicate, and Think (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) [Paperback]

Stanley I. Greenspan (Author), Serena Wieder (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Merloyd Lawrence Book | Publication Date: February 10, 2009

Grateful parents and professionals worldwide have welcomed this essential guide to the highly recommended Floortime approach for treating children with any of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Now available in paperback, Engaging Autism includes new, exciting information on neuroscience research into the effects of this approach, plus guidance for parents navigating the controversies surrounding the treatment of autism.

Unlike approaches that focus on changing specific behavior, Greenspan’s program promotes the building blocks of healthy emotional and behavioral development. He shows that, remarkably, children with ASD do not have a fixed, limited potential, and may often join their peers to lead full, psychologically healthy lives. The Floortime approach can also be applied at any age—including early infancy, when the first signs of risk for ASD may appear—so that preventing the full development of autism becomes a real possibility.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Greenspan and Wieder (The Child with Special Needs) start out by redefining autism in realistic yet positive terms which open the door for successful intervention: instead of focusing solely on the autistic spectrum, a more flexible axis measuring progress, on which placement is not fixed, can give parents and children a "a healthy developmental trajectory," taking into account such goals as "showing intimacy and warmth ... communicating with gestures ... and talking meaningfully." The authors give readers a pragmatic approach to thinking about people on the autistic spectrum, including specific ideas for enhancing connectivity and communication in people of any age, most of whom "rarely advance intellectually above the ten-to-twelve-year-old level ... when they could progress far beyond the level of concrete thinking," if only there were a curriculum that would "challenge them to do so." Most of the text is used to help develop an engaging program for someone with autism, including resources and examples, in order to address "relationships, specific behaviors, the creative use of ideas, and the various processing areas." This is essential reading for caregivers, parents and friends of people on the spectrum, as well as compelling reading for anyone who wants to learn more about autism.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Blogcritics.org, 3/26/09
“A must read for parents, caregivers, teachers, physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists who have been frustrated in their attempts to help young and older children with autism. Its methods will give all of them more than just a ray of hope.”

Mid-Ohio Valley Parent, June/July 2009
“For parents looking for new ways to work with their autistic children, this book would be extremely helpful.”

Toronto Globe & Mail, 5/21/11

“This large, useful book offers a good overview of ASD.”

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books; 1 edition (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738210943
• ISBN-13: 978-0738210940
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Children's Health > Autism & Asperger's Syndrome
  • #77 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Special Needs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Autism and Floortime, April 4, 2006

By 

Lynne Roberts - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Engaging Autism: Helping Children Relate, Communicate and Think with the DIR Floortime Approach (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) (Hardcover)

This is a detailed look at a difficult subject but for the parent of a child with autism it is one of those stones that should not go unturned. Dr. Greenspan makes the extraordinary claim that he has treated thousands of children and adults with ASD and has never seen one that could not be moved forward on the spectrum, not even one. In many cases they have been be able to join their peers in full healthy emotional and intellectual lives.

Dr. Greenspan is no quack. He is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at George Washington University Medical School. He and Dr. Serena Wieder have spent the last twenty five years developing the approach they call Floortime. Their thesis is that all learning begins with emotion. The tiniest infant typically bonds and begins to communicate with its mother because it finds that communication pleasurable and desirable. Each little step in the process represents a foundational building block required for the next step. Children with autism have missed some of those building blocks. The idea behind Floortime is to meet the child wherever she is emotionally. Find what the child likes to do. Join her in the activity. Follow her lead and establish an emotional bond that can be used to communicate in a way the child finds pleasurable. That in turn can allow her to put some of the missing foundation in place. Over time the child moves up on the spectrum.

I find Dr. Greenspan's success stories inspirational. My four year old grandson has made remarkable progress in the two years since he was diagnosed with autism. He plays with his peers, makes strong eye contact, and laughs with his dad. But for the past six months or so he seems to be stuck on a language plateau. He hasn't regressed, but beyond asking for what he wants he is distressingly quiet, rarely engaging in conversation though he loves to sing. And his stimming has gotten worse. Don't bother to look it up. You won't find it in Webster's, not even in the unabridged edition. It's what Greenspan calls self-stimulation and Weston's mother calls sensory overload. Weston dances on his toes in what Mom and Dad call his happy dance. He also paces incessantly back and forth in a little trot. He is excessively excited and that appears to be interfering with his therapy. If I understand Greenspan, he would see it as an opportunity. Weston does that because it makes him feel good. So dance with him, sing with him and if he wants to trot, trot. Let him share his pleasure with you. Turn it into a game. It could be a non-verbal game that would help him develop an appreciation for non-verbal cues such as tone of voice, body language, even flirting. It just might add a foundation building block. That would be a wonderful thing.

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Big payoff for a method schools can't do. Surprised?, November 19, 2006

By 

Peter Pan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Engaging Autism: Helping Children Relate, Communicate and Think with the DIR Floortime Approach (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) (Hardcover)

My daughter is 8. We did the early intervention from age 2,Kind. and 1st grade. School goals were to make her autism not so obvious by teaching her to be quiet in class and follow a schedule. I found a mom who did her own consulting. Her daughter started non verbal at age 2 like mine. However, she used Greenspan and her daughter is amazing and in a reg. Kindergarten with no shadows. Very articulate, executive functioning (planning etc) is excellent. When asked how she did this she replied I worked my "blank" off! You would be amazed at what floor time accomplishes. We got pretty normal eye contact in a month. When you imitate them they look at you. She has learned nouns, not nouns, verbs, pronouns... When I read Greenspan I found a wealth of ideas for all kind of situations and I needed stories to see how to do it. She doesn't need much chair time except some of homeschooling. I want a kid who argues with her brother, can whine like any kid. I want her to play and make friends. Remember, be a kid yourself,laugh,have fun during therapy. Your presence has to be the reason playing is more fun. Read Greenspan. I did like the second book better. My husband and I have seen such huge positive changes. You begin to take for granted what didn't exist before. Isn't that nice? Greenspan keeps it functional, real life teaching in the moment! P.S. The disciplinarian teaches nothing. Knock off the military mindset.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential resource for parents and professionals, April 16, 2006

By 

Lindsey Biel "OTR/L, Coauthor, Raising A Sens... (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Engaging Autism: Helping Children Relate, Communicate and Think with the DIR Floortime Approach (A Merloyd Lawrence Book) (Hardcover)

Engaging Autism provides clear, practical information on how parents, therapists, and other caregivers can use the DIR/Floortime Approach to help children with autism spectrum disorders. As a pediatric OT and author of a book on sensory integration issues, I really appreciate Dr. Greenspan's explanations of sensory modulation difficulties and sensory and emotional overload and how these problems interfere with development. He examines a few of the many challenges posed by sensory issues, such as potty training and mealtime, and offers some good strategies, including working with a knowledgeable occupational therapist. This excellent resource helps parents start asking the right questions about what approach to use to help the child with ASD, provides useful advice on handling everyday problems, and offers current brain research and efficacy studies about the DIR/Floortime approach.
--Lindsey Biel www.sensorysmarts.com