Behavioral Challenges in Children with Autism and Other Special Needs

Dr. Diane Cullinane is a developmental pediatrician, board certified in pediatrics and neurodevelopmental disabilities. She is cofounder and executive director of Professional Child Development Associates, in Pasadena, California, a non-profit agency that provides a wide range of programs and services for children with autism and other developmental challenges, using the DIR approach. Dr. Cullinane is a strong advocate for developmental and relationship based interventions, and is a training leader in DIRFloortime®.

"Every parent encounters the stress of behavioral challenges with children. This book offers insight into the meaning of these behaviors, identifying where development has gone awry, and offers effective solutions. In the ways Dr. Cullinane has translated the DIRFloortime Model, parents and professionals will find understanding, hope, and guidance in helping children of every age develop self-regulation and experience the security of relationships that help them feel understood and able to regulate emotions, think ahead, be flexible, and relate to others. This book is valuable, compelling, and easy to read. It provides the in-depth answers parents and therapists have been looking for." -- Dr. Serena Wieder, Profectum Foundation, Co-Developer of the DIR Model "This book is a thoughtful and important contribution to the literature on developmental approaches to treating autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. Dr. Cullinane stresses the need to understand individual differences when considering behavioral challenges, and to integrate this understanding into the treatment approach. Her emphasis on the child's internal world and experience of self and others is an essential and timely contribution to the field of intervention for behavioral challenges in those with special needs." -- Kathy Koenig, MSN, Yale Child Study Center "Behavioral Challenges in Children with Autism and Other Special Needs accurately and respectfully elucidates Stanley Greenspan's developmental model and Floortime intervention, and also expands upon them with Dr. Cullinane's own astute and carefully laid-out techniques and observations. While emphasizing the importance of Greenspan's insights on the emotional basis for learning, this book underlines and develops those insights in important new ways, supporting the reader through clear explanations and short, well-targeted examples. It is a valuable, highly recommended addition to the DIR Model." -- Nancy Greenspan, The Greenspan Floortime Approach