Affect Autism

Joining us this episode is Jehan Shehata-Aboubakr, a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) at Clinical Communication Consultants in Thornhill, Ontario (just north of Toronto) where she practices with a functional pragmatic and DIRFloortime® approach. She is a DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader with the International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL) and faculty with Profectum. We have been working together on advocacy, trying to get developmental approaches funded here in Ontario and it’s a pleasure to finally feature Jehan on the podcast!Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: http://affectautism.com/2019/05/27/scriptingCaregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Licensed Mental Health Counselor and DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader Gene Christian joins us from Spokane, Washington this episode to share how adults with extreme developmental differences can benefit from Floortime. His description of how to bring out the early social-emotional capacities through playful interactions really informs our practice as parents and professionals. He really provides the rationale to support nonverbal adults who are dysregulated, seemingly stuck in their own worlds, to intent where they can have meaningful communications with the caregivers in their lives.Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2019/02/25/intent/Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Behavioural challenges can pop up from time to time in our children and this is to be expected. But sometimes, even when we read behaviour as communication, are aware of our child’s unique sensory processing profile, are attuned to our child, follow their lead, and have a great relationship, our children can still surprise us with inappropriate behaviour that can be harmful to themselves or others. What is going on? What do we do?Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2018/11/05/floortime-tips-home/Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Behavioural challenges can pop up from time to time in our children and this is to be expected. But sometimes, even when we read behaviour as communication, are aware of our child’s unique sensory processing profile, are attuned to our child, follow their lead, and have a great relationship, our children can still surprise us with inappropriate behaviour that can be harmful to themselves or others. What is going on? What do we do?Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2018/10/22/floortime-tips/Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Maude Le Roux returns this episode to discuss theory of mind: what it is, why it’s important, and how to foster its development in our children with developmental differences. Maude is an occupational therapist who runs a DIR® clinic called A Total Approach in Glen Mills, PA and she is also a DIRFloortime® Expert Training Leader who presents around the world on DIRFloortime® and other topics that she has advanced credentials in.Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2018/09/24/theory-of-mind/Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

This episode, Dr. Stuart Shanker speaks with us about how Self-Reg® came about. Self-regulation is the first functional emotional developmental capacity (FEDC) in the DIR® model, and Dr. Shanker was the lead researcher on the DIRFloortime® brain research study. Dr. Shanker is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the MEHRIT Centre. He is a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Psychology at York University. He is also the Founder and Science Director of the Self Regulation Institute at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2018/08/27/self-reg-and-dir/Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

Affect refers to the emotional messaging that expresses our ideas and emotions. It’s our authentic expression in our communication such as the tone of voice we use, our gestures, facial expressions and other non-verbal communication. This is our primary tool in Floortime!Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2018/07/16/affect/Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents

We develop within emotional relationships with our primary caregivers. This development progresses as a result of emotional exchanges between child and caregiver, or as Floortime calls them, "circles of communication." These affective reciprocal exchanges involve gestural and other nonverbal communication along with verbal communication. A continuous flow of back-and-forth signalling, or circles of communication, will defeat the need to be impulsive or withdrawn. DIRFloortime® works on the developmental capacities that regulate aggression. The earlier a child can develop these capacities, the less behavioural challenges as the child gets older and bigger because the child is happier, more in control of their world, and feels understood.Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2018/07/02/circles/Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers her

A lot of programs and workshops attempt to teach emotions to children, but all you can really teach a child is how to label emotions. To learn what an emotion is, you have to be able to actually experience the visceral feeling of the emotion. This is best done through Floortime where we share back-and-forth, affective interactions with our child and can label emotions in the moment, as they happen spontaneously through play, or by commenting about the emotions witnessed when observing emotional expressions in others, and finally by co-regulating with our children when they are dysregulated.Link to the full blog post with links to key discussion points and other ways to view or hear the podcast here: https://affectautism.com/2018/06/18/can-you-teach-emotions/Caregivers: Consider joining our DIR® Parent Network for support from a like-minded community of Floortimers here: https://www.icdl.com/parents