Our Approach

To be available for learning, a child must be able to regulate his body, focus his attention, and develop the social and emotional foundation that supports higher level thinking. Our students have challenges in one or more of these areas, which we address through program components based on the Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based (DIR) model pioneered by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and Dr. Serena Wieder.

The DIR/Floortime Approach is a comprehensive framework for understanding and treating children with developmental challenges. It focuses on helping children master the building blocks of relating, communicating and thinking which provides a foundation for learning.

DIR results in an individualized, whole-child approach that engages parents and taps the child’s own motivation to reach developmental goals. All of the Hirsch Academy’s classroom teachers and therapeutic staff members have received traning in the DIR model and its implementation approach, called Floortime.