PHOTO CREDIT: Senderos
On this Episode…
Maythe Martinez is a DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader in Merida, Mexico where she opened a DIR-accredited DIRFloortime® school called “Senderos” which means “path” in English. Maythe is a licensed psychologist and an early infant/early childhood mental health specialist as well. Senderos is a (Spanish-English) bilingual preschool and elementary school currently planning their summer camp activities and accepting students for the upcoming school year.
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The Dream
Maythe was able to open her DIR® school with a lot of help and support from her mentors, professors from ICDL, friends, family and colleagues. It is the first DIR® school in Mexico in Merida, close to the Chichén Itzá pyramids. They have a beautiful playground and a wonderful location.
Maythe’s Floortime Journey
Maythe is from Mexico City but was away for 18 years. When she was in Chicago studying child development at the Erikson Institute, she learned about DIR®. She began working in a play school with the Infant Welfare Society where she worked with very vulnerable families. She appreciated not seeing autism from a “disorder” perspective but about finding connection and in her work, she and her colleagues were able to bring Floortime to the families.
Maythe then moved to Atlanta where she met her mentor Dr. Barbara Dunbar who connected her with some families, some of whom she is still connected with today. Then she moved to Seattle and met her Hispanic mentor, Dr. Cecilia Breinbauer, working with vulnerable families, again using DIR®. Maythe believes you have to learn as slow as necessary to really understand the DIR® model.
Then she moved to Spain and the UK where she became a DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader. DIR® has supported her practice and it provides such a wonderful model to apply with families, Maythe shares. She has been able to learn how families raise their children in different contexts and cultures. DIR® taught her how to appreciate each family’s individual differences.
The Need in Merida
Maythe says that Merida is her final destination and that she would be thrilled to have Floortimers come to do an internship with her or visit. She says Merida is very safe and a beautiful place to raise children. There’s a lot of diversity with people from many different countries, but it is very hot! They have swimming pools and air conditioning, though, and beautiful swimming caves. They are also 30 minutes from the ocean. The winter weather is incredible.
When Maythe searched for schools for her kids in Merida after COVID, she found dedicated, loving teachers but found that they are still challenged to serve the neurodivergent population. There is not much understanding of presuming competence, so there’s lots of room for learning. She learned that most schools said they did not serve children with developmental differences.
The classrooms in Merida’s typical schools have around 25 children per classroom, there’s a high focus on academic skills with very little time for free play. and no individualized curriculum nor time for movement built in. You rarely see minimally speaking children in the schools. There’s only specific therapeutic centres for them. The use of AAC is not encouraged either, she says.
Creating a DIR® School
Maythe felt she had to do something. She also wanted neurotypical children to celebrate the differences of neurodivergent children–not just respect them. She found a house near her own home close to downtown Merida that was abandoned and required a lot of work and renovation. She had a team of hard workers that renovated the home from scratch. They built the playground with grass out of the parking lot that was in the back. It took a lot of hard work with a lot of love and taking a lot of breaks in the heat between May and August of 2024.
They added air conditioners, new windows, and a sensory gym with different types of lighting throughout the house. It’s a Yucatan style home that has different rooms on the sides with a lot of light from the windows. They added many plants, and added a reading and resting area. They had custom tables made for children. Children need to have a respectful environment where they can sit comfortable, move, stand up whenever they need to, and have the curiosity to learn, Maythe stresses. She says the focus is on regulation in a DIR® school, and the air conditioning is part of that!
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She then assembled a staff of teachers and workers for the school, including music and art teachers, a champion chess player teacher, and a movement and sports teacher, and they began to do DIR® training. They started reflecting how they work with children and relate with them, including about their attachment styles. They also prepared the school for safety, including fire extinguishers, and had CPR training.
Maythe’s colleague from Chicago helped her with planning project-based learning and respecting individual differences and learning styles. Maythe also had help from other DIR® training leaders. Maythe has also been doing neurodiversity talks in Merida.
Senderos Philosophy and Values
The philosophy and values of Senderos are rooted in neurodiversity, developmental capacities, love, attachment, compassion, and creativity, and they have made cartoon characters to represent the values. Rocco is a blue rock who represents mental health and movement, and how every child has a different rhythm. Maythe wants children to be able to express emotions, and figure out what they want to learn.
Ama is a heart and represents attachment. Creo, the little chubby green hummingbird represents neurodiversity and creativity. Luma is a yellow star that every child needs to light their path. They are the owners of their path how they wish. We all just walk on the side with them. The pink doggie represents the compassionate relationship with children the staff has.
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Other Features
- Parents are welcome to be a part of the school and connect with the school whenever needed.
- The school appreciates all types of communication whether it’s through art, hands, AAC, gestures, or through play.
- They will have 8 children per classroom to be able to serve them well.
- Maythe is willing to help anyone interested in starting a similar project in their own area and says to contact her.
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This episode’s PRACTICE TIP:
Let’s think about offering playful, joyful experiences to our children in their learning environment. If it can’t be during the day at their school, how can we do this during summer break or on weekends?
For example: Can you plan moments or outings doing what the child loves most such as playing at the splash pad, or throwing water balloons outside your home? Can you participate with enthusiasm and be with your child in these special, treasured moments of shared joy?
Thank you to Maythe for sharing her time with us presenting her fabulous DIRFloortime® school. You can find Senderos on Instagram and Facebook at senderos.red. I hope that you enjoyed this episode and will share it on social media! And don’t forget that it’s also available in Spanish!
Until next time, here’s to choosing play and experiencing joy every day!
