2006 may be our 10th Anniversary, but developing the DIR® model goes back some thirty years to a six-year longitudinal NIMH study of infants and parents in multi-risk families. We were intent on understanding the developmental pathways that support healthy infant development and learning to identify and prevent the problems which derailed it. It was a time rich with infant development pioneers who would inform and guide our studies. Our scientific meetings included Berry Brazelton, Reginald Lourie, Sally Provence, Al Solnit, Selma Fraiberg and others who were blazing the trail in understanding individual differences, reaching out to families in distress, and coping with “ghosts in the nursery.” At this time, we began to define what has become the DIR® model.

During the next decade we developed assessment and intervention approaches, reaching out to children with greater regulatory and developmental challenges on the autism spectrum. We invited other disciplines to join us as we deepened our understanding of sensory and motor processing in relation to social- emotional and intellectual functioning and the dynamic interactions among all aspects of development. The call to our colleagues was, “Bring your challenging cases” to discuss at our bi-annual meetings at the “barn” in Stanley Greenspan’s backyard. Many in our “think tank in the barn” today serve as prominent members of the ICDL Advisory Board and the Senior Faculty of the DIR® Institute. By 1990 we were teaching the Infancy and Early Childhood Training Courses in assessment and treatment. We also chaired the 0-3 Diagnostic Classification Task Force at Zero to Three which published the first manual in 1994.

In 1996 we formally organized as a nonprofit Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL) with the encouragement and support of our Advisory Board and the Unicorn Foundation. At our yearly International Conferences acclaimed researchers and clinicians in the areas of neuroscience, pediatric medicine, developmental psychology, mental health, communication and language development, occupational, sensory motor and visuo-cognitive therapy, education and creative arts present state of the art knowledge. Participants have come from every state and from all over the world. ICDL also began to publish clinical practice guidelines and newsletter, a diagnostic manual, assessment and intervention tools, and video training tapes. At our 10th Anniversary Conference, we will launch the new Journal of Developmental Processes with the Council on Human Development.

In 1999 we started the DIR® Institute Certificate Program beginning with “training the trainers,” who are now our distinguished interdisciplinary faculty teaching DIR® across the country and around the world, reaching thousands of parents and professionals, creating innovative clinical and school programs, and teaching at Universities. Several hundred clinicians and educators, and up to 50 faculty now participate in this program annually. In 2003, the Floortime Foundation was founded to further dissemination, including the web radio broadcast, and to embrace and support parents and professionals sharing our journey.

ICDL is racing forward to redefine the potential of children who are identified with autism and disorders of relating and communicating, as well as other emotional, learning and attention challenges. The DIR® model continues to grow and expand with each passing year. Our next year will see new distance learning and research initiatives, curriculum materials, and regional and international networks and training programs. We invite you on board the journey into our next decade.