April 2 is observed World Autism Awareness Day across the globe. Ahead of this important day, Deepa Malini, Founder and Director, Autism & Beyond shared that ‘Dr. Greenspan’s Floor Time’ approach can be a great resource for Autistic children and adults to relate, think, communicate and grow.
Children & Autism:
Children with Autism, according to Researchers Maryse & Rose, are characterized by severe and persistent impairments in social interaction and communication skills, and they present with restricted interests and/or repetitive patterns of behaviors. These difficulties interfere with these children’s ability to participate in daily occupations such as play, school, leisure, and personal care activities.
Floor Time Approach:
Like Deepa Malini, the two US-based researchers also say that Floor time play (FTP) is an effective intervention technique to help children with autism. FTP aims at moving the child with special needs through the six developmental milestones by following the child’s lead during play and building on what the child does to encourage more reciprocal interactions.
Deepa pointed out that Autism can be diagnosed well as early as the child turns two; and male babies are affected mostly by it. She wanted the parents to understand the putting their child with autism in a normal school, thinking that they will start to behave like other kids is actually not the right thing to do.
She stressed that with proper development intervention technique, through a respectful, playful, joyful and engaging process, the children could be made to get a firm grip of coherence and their cognitive senses will increase when their areas of interests are observed and strong interaction is built over it.