Sulam’s intervention with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is based on the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship based (DIR) model.
This model was developed by Drs. Stanley Greenspan and Sarina Wieder, and the belief behind it is that a child must be emotionally connected with the people in his world and have the ability to interact with them in order to develop. DIR emphasizes the critical role of parents and family members, and every adult that interacts with the child undergoes DIR training.
The core of this program is FLOORTIME in which the caregiver actually gets down on the floor to interact with the child. Being on eye level with the child allows the caregiver to follow the child’s lead meeting him on his current level and engaging him through his (the child’s) interests thus expanding his circles of communication and encouraging further development through the 6 basic developmental milestones.
