Education

Floortime in Georgia

October 21, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Community School, a tiny school in Decatur, Ga., with a student body of ten, all of whom have autism spectrum disorder or related disorders, is achieving breakthrough results through use of a relatively new teaching method known as D.I.R./Floortime, according to a recent New York Times Magazine article.

D.I.R./Floortime –D.I.R stands for developmental, individual differences, relationship-based approach—was developed by professors of child psychology and behavioral science at George Washington University. The basis of the method is individualized development: Teachers and parents aim to build on an individual student’s interests instead of pushing them towards a particular set of goals or ideas. “The essence of Floortime,” the article explains, “is that a person learns best when self-motivated, when an inner drive sparks the acquisition of skills and knowledge.”

D.I.R is a departure from Applied Behavior Analysis, the approach employed by the majority of U.S. programs for autistic students. That method dictates that teachers and therapists use, “well-established techniques of reward and punishment to shape a student’s actions towards goals like toilet training, learning vocabulary or completing a puzzle.”

At The Community School, by contrast, “classes can look like debates between equals; school days can include board games, sports, plays, science experiments, music, art, ropes courses or rafting trips in which all students and teachers playfully compete, contribute and perform.”

“The idea is to harness a student’s energy and desire to learn,” the Times article notes. “As a student interacts with peers and teachers, solves problems and expresses his ideas, his behavior should naturally begin to lose its rough edges.”

According to the school’s director Dave Nelson, the students are making remarkable gains under the D.I.R. method. He says student attendance rates are higher, their emotional regulation is better, and their “suicidal ideation” isn’t happening at T.C.S. Parents corroborate Mr. Nelson’s reports of success.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Web Watch blog.

Events

Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Boosting Student and Staff Mental Health: What Schools Can Do
Join this free virtual event based on recent reporting on student and staff mental health challenges and how schools have responded.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
Practical Methods for Integrating Computer Science into Core Curriculum
Dive into insights on integrating computer science into core curricula with expert tips and practical strategies to empower students at every grade level.
Content provided by Learning.com

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: October 11, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 27, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: September 20, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education From Our Research Center What's on the Minds of Educators, in Charts
Politics, gender equity, and technology—how teachers and administrators say these issues are affecting the field.
1 min read
Stylized illustration of a pie chart
Traci Daberko for Education Week