Stanley I. Greenspan, a psychiatrist known for his work with children and infants with developmental and emotional disorders, died late last month of complications from a stroke. He was 68.
Dr. Greenspan, an author and educator, developed the “floor time” movement for working with children with autism and other developmental disorders. The central tenet of his approach was encouraging parents and educators to engage in child-centered play with the children in their care, by getting down on the floor with them for free play. Dr. Greenspan wrote about nurturing the emotional and developmental needs of children and worked extensively with children with autism.
Dr. Greenspan was on the faculty of the George Washington University Medical School, in Washington, where he also chaired the university’s Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders. He was also the founding president of Zero to Three: The National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families and a past director of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Study Center and the Clinical Infant Development Program.
