Using the Supportve Play Model: Individual Intervention

Full Course Name: Using the Supportve Play Model: Individual Intervention in Early Childhood Settings

The Supportive Play Model (SPM) is an approach to early care and intervention that addresses all lines of development through play and is applicable to a cross-disciplinary audience. It pays unique attention to the child's social-emotional self-formation, the impact of the inner life and the centrality of relationships. In SPM, play serves as the common medium linking the multiple disciplines serving typical young children and those whose development is different, including children on the autistic spectrum. 

In this course, the student will learn to implement SPM, which provides the practitioner with a systematic process for observing typically and atypically developing children, analyzing their play, and preparing and promoting developmentally appropriate play-based environments and intervention strategies. The model draws from practices in early intervention, the nursery school, mental health and DIR/Floortime. 

An introduction to the principles and practices of DIR/Floortime will be incorporated into the course by the instructor, who is a member of the DIR Institute faculty. Some experience working with young children is required.