Autism Services
At Puzzle Pieces we use DIRFloortime® therapy as our approach to autism intervention.
This evidence-based model is an intervention that is used to promote an individual’s development through a respectful, playful, joyful, and engaging process. It uses the power of relationships and human connections to promote engagement, communication, positive behaviors, and thinking.
At Puzzle Pieces, a number of clinicians across disciplines have obtained additional certification as DIRFloortime® providers. This philosophy for interacting with children is embedded in our approach to intervention within all of our therapeutic services.
What about ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)?
You may have been given a referral or recommendation for ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) for your child upon diagnosis. This is often due to a history of insurance coverage limitation and lack of available resources. Our services are covered by insurance because all therapists at Puzzle Pieces are Masters level, licensed clinicians in their own disciplines. Many hospitals and developmental medicine specialists are now educating parents on patient choice when it comes to Autism focused therapies to allow parents to find what feels best for their child & family. Our perspective is that therapy for your young child should not be ‘hard to watch’ and should always feel like positive progress towards goals.
Services at Puzzle Pieces are geared towards supporting the whole family and that includes 1-2 sessions per week with a focus on embedding what you’ve learned into your regular family life so it can also be less daunting. Quality versus quantity is our goal for providing high-level services for children with ASD and their families.
Can ABA and DIRFloortime® be done together?
While the philosophies of each model are opposing, we work with many families that feel they wish to try both and we always encourage parents to self-advocate for their family’s needs.
