This post covers an important and essential piece of a developmental approach: it’s only as good as its implementation. This can be said for many things in life: diets, educational interventions, training goals, travel plans, etc., but in a developmental approach implementation really is everything.

The Basic Elements

The last few posts have talked about some general concepts that define the developmental approach:

• It is Relationship-based
• It takes into account each child’s unique Individual differences
• It focuses on development rather than behaviour
• All behaviour is interpreted as communication
• It is play-based
• We remain attuned to the child in all interactions

Everything we do in a developmental approach such as DIR/Floortime requires that these concepts are not only understood, but lived each and every day.

The Integrity of the Approach

Rather, what is your philosophy about your role and about your child’s role? Behaviour? Discipline? Emotions? Differences between children?

Where you stand on these key concepts will dictate where you will go in your less-than-perfect moments.

Integrity means that the way we are while applying DIR/Floortime is the way we are in our interactions every other time of the day as well.

We protect the trust and safety that comes with a good Relationship because it is so fragile and can so easily be broken.

The Implementation

To implement a successful developmental approach like DIR/Floortime, all your ducks must be in order:

• You do not impose an agenda on the child. Instead you meet the child where they are at developmentally and invite out their potential by watching, waiting, wondering.
• You get to know your child and respectfully honour who they are by accepting them and their individual differences that make them unique.
• You must really believe that children learn through play within relationships with loving, warm, nurturing primary caregivers.
• You must know that your child’s undesirable behaviour is not malicious or spiteful, and that they want to interact with you–even if it doesn’t seem like it to you. “If they could, they would, but they can’t, so they don’t“.
• You absolutely have to let go of ‘learning skills’ and ‘compliance’ for the sake of a sense of control, and rather embrace the natural process of development. This means you focus on what is emotionally meaningful to the child and use that interest to help facilitate their developmental, all while respecting their individual differences.

It’s really about your mindset and beliefs. If they are in line with the aforementioned developmental approach principles, the rest will come easily. Head to the Start Here link, and begin your process. Implementing it in the way it is intended is the precursor to its success!

Did today’s post make sense to you? Do you understand how essential it is to be in the developmental approach mindset in order to implement DIR/Floortime with success? If so, please Share this post on Facebook and/or Twitter below. Do you have any anecdotes about straying from the developmental mindset in your developmental approach, and how that backfired? Do you have any stories to share about the success of your implementation? If so, please Comment below.