Functional Emotional Developmental Levels 5-9

Lisa deFaria, LCSW, BCD; Griffin Doyle, PhD and Monica G. Osgood

Part 2 of this workshop concentrates on developing the DIR model levels V – IX, which include the abilities to represent or symbolize intentions and feelings in imaginative play and/or language, and to think in logical and abstract ways. An overview of the higher levels of development include an illustration of multi-causal and triangular thinking, comparative thinking, gray-area thinking, intermittent reflective thinking, a stable sense of self and internal standard. The emphasis is on how to tailor interactions to individual differences that assist the child to elaborate on his interests, create sequential dialogues, and represent and understand experience given the widening range of emotions and expectations development poses. Deepening the child’s emotionally charged themes through pretend play conversations is underlined as a chief means of building richer and prolonged interactions to build empathy and deal with anxiety and constrictions.