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Floortime is a specific technique and a philosophical principle
involving a caregiver and a child. During the technique, a caregiver
gets down on the floor to interact with a child for twenty minutes
or more, and as a general philosophy, it characterizes all daily
interactions with that child.
The two goals of
the floortime principle include following the child’s
lead and bringing the child into a shared world.
Following the child’s
lead means that caregivers and clinicians take what the child is
doing and use it to understand more about the child’s interests,
natural desires, likes and dislikes and ultimately what is
motivating for him or her. As parents and clinicians, we become
detectives in order to figure out what it is that the child enjoys
about what they are doing. By following the child’s lead, we join
them in what they are doing to learn more about their motives and
intentions. Once we have joined them in their pursuits and
interests, we work to draw them into shared attention and
engagement.
Once a child enjoys
participating with others, we can begin to help him or her master
each of the basic abilities or relating, communicating and
thinking. The ultimate goal of bringing children into a shared
world is to help them become more empathetic, logical and reflective
individuals.
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