Comparative analysis of two intervention approaches to mental development of children with ASD

Abstract

The paper presents a comparative analysis of the Emotional-Semantic approach and the DIR / Floortime approach to intervention in the childhood autism. Their conceptual similarities go as follows: both approaches are based on the idea of development and normal development principles, their goal is normalization of an autistic child' mental development, they consider childhood autism as a biologically determined disorder connected to problematic affective sphere development and aim at engaging an autistic child into an emotionally valuable relationship. The approaches divert in considering the genesis of the affective sphere difficulties in autism, outlining diagnostic milestones, setting purposes of the adult's joining the child's activities and assessing intervention efficiency. Emotional-Semantic Approach considers the child's inability to build relationships with the environment as a whole (not only with another person) as the main problem of the affective sphere development; it bases diagnostics on qualitative peculiarities of autistic disorder; it aims at helping the child comprehend the situation while developing joint and divided experiences and broadening the range of the child's emotions.