What people are saying….
“Dr. Gil Tippy, Dr. Greenspan, and the Rebecca School staff do a exquisite job describing the many different profiles, programs, and successes of children attending the school. It is clear from his case studies that Dr. Tippy has a passion for and a mastery of the DIR Model, and that the children under his care develop into happy, caring, and communicative students. The staff contributions also exemplify a conceptualized understanding of the model and the ability to apply it creatively across many different environments and types of children. Dr. Greenspan’s contributions to the case studies paint such a vivid picture of each child’s unique developmental profile and treatment program that these cases could be used as a guide for DIR Evaluations. Dr. Greenspan, Dr. Tippy, and the Rebecca School have successfully implemented and conveyed what a comprehensive DIR based school should offer, and the progress the students have made is inspiring.” –Jake Greenspan, Co-Director, The Floortime Center™

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“Since it began several years ago, the Rebecca School has been engaged in the difficult task of evoking the talents and natures latent in the complicated and each-different-from-another minds of autistic and PDD (pervasive developmental disorder) children. Their approach, enacting the precepts of Dr. Stanley Greenspan, has been creative, intelligent, and tireless. My own son is a charter member of the school. He arrived on medications he was quickly able to shed and over the years has become capable of behaviors that the mainstream community interested in special needs children had assured us would never be possible for him.” –Alec Wilkinson, parent, author, and staff writer for The New Yorker

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“Dr. Tippy’s compassion and passion infuse each child’s compelling story. I applaud him and his team in their commitment to looking beyond labels to understand and respect each child as an individual with a unique profile of strengths and challenges. Having the opportunity to read Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s insights is a real treat, making this very readable book a fitting tribute to him and his important work.” — Paul B. Yellin, MD, FAAP; Director, The Yellin Center for Mind, Brain, and Education and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine

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“This introduction to the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-based model (DIR) is beautifully written, clearly presented and reader friendly. Dr. Tippy engages the reader from his first sentence as takes us on a journey into a variety of fascinating case studies of students who have benefitted from DIR intervention. An overview of the underpinnings of developmental approaches, and in particular, the DIR model, is presented through several studies. The text should prove useful to parents, practitioners, and graduate students in related fields. Case studies are presented to illustrate and highlight strategies to encourage development of functional abstract knowledge through the use of relationships. Insightful detailed reporting enables Dr. Tippy to demonstrate how DIR can empower children to connect and transfer information to broader higher levels. The studies illuminate successful strategies for working with children on the Developmental Spectrum — where children are respected and their thoughts and feelings valued. Methods advocated in this invaluable new text put back the joy in teaching and learning.”   — Dianne Zager, Ph.D. Michael C. Koffler Professor in Autism Director, Center for Teaching & Research in Autism Pace University

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“As an experienced teacher of children with autism, I was engaged by the narratives and involved in the therapeutic recommendations that Dr. Greenspan made for the subjects of the case studies.

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In many ways this is a charming and engaging read: call me crazy, but I work with kids with autism. Still, I see this more as a resource for teachers already in the field, rather than an introduction to treatment and educational strategies for teachers and parents of children on the spectrum. Teachers with experience and a background in the field are more likely to recognize successful or replicable strategies. In the meantime, for the rest of you, well . . . hopefully Dr. Tippy will deliver that other book, the one we need.” -  Respecting Autism – a Review of a Casebook from the Rebecca School by Jerry Webster of About.com’s Special Education sub-site

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“I have been busily reading the book with great interest. Being a parent of a child with PDDNOS autism spectrum disorder and an art teacher, I feel as if I could relate to so many of the opinions and situations that were shared.  Respecting Autism: The Rebecca School DIR Casebook for Parents and Professionals book presents wonderfully the importance of the family as a whole unit, where everyone becomes accountable for their interactions with one another. On page 171, Gil Tippy, states, “We all appreciate it when our loved one’s indulge us in our idiosyncrasies.” Isn’t that a true statement.  I believe that is how many families work, where we indulge each-other’s idiosyncrasies. My family is layered with traditions, daily diners, swimming on Sunday’s and making silly birthday cakes that look like family pets. I feel all families love the silly stuff. The  Respecting Autism: The Rebecca School DIR Casebook for Parents and Professionals, encourages families and professionals to go along with the silly stuff, the self stimulation, or interesting scripts and noises being presented by the child, and then provides instruction on how to use these behaviors as one way to engage the child in therapy.

Of course Respecting Autism: The Rebecca School DIR Casebook for Parents and Professionals, follows the DIR model. Each case study presented provides a history of the child, educational practices that were being described by the Rebecca school staff and Dr. Greenspan’s recommendations and then lastly a modified “Game Plan” that encourages growth for the individual child while respecting  his special unique needs. Reading the insight provided by Dr. Greenspan was enlightening. I felt like I was part of the team making the decisions for the child’s and families well being. It was as if I was reading Dr. Greenspan’s journal or personal notes.  Reading these passages made me wish that all educational institutions that deal with developmental spectrum children would respect their students like the Rebecca School.

As stated in the introduction by Gil Tippy on page 8, “I want to be on the side of this debate that believes that children have feelings and thoughts, and that those feelings and thoughts are at least as valid as the feelings and thoughts of any adult.”   Often times this issue of respect or seeing the true individual behind the disability gets lost by professionals in the field. To validate a child’s emotions and abilities is an enormous gift for that child and their family. I believe the book  Respecting Autism: The Rebecca School DIR Casebook for Parents and Professionals, demonstrates the commitment of the faculty and staff at the Rebecca School to enrich communication skills, and henceforth enrich the life of the child on the developmental spectrum.” - parent, teacher and author of I Have A Brother, Lisa Benanto

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“When I first started my blog I posted a segment on the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-based (DIR®/Floortime) model. I recall being mystified but intrigued by the results I had viewed during an on-line course given by Dr. Greenspan. Following completion of that course and to this day, I utilize the model with my own son diagnosed PDD-NOS.

When I recently heard that the Rebecca School was putting out a casebook on DIR Floortime—I had to get my hands on it. As I know you are aware that the Rebecca School is one of the only schools to embrace this model throughout all of their teaching methods. After owning the book just four short days….I’ve finished it! So, here is where I’m at—I landed between “Neurotic New York Mom” Knows Best, and “I love you, now go away.” That’s right…once you read it; you will find yourself relating to so many of the cases. The personal stories in the book are like none other written before. And, those of you that know me well…I can open my own Barnes and Noble-Autism Books ONLY lol. The heartfelt and detailed cases have me wanting to meet the children highlighted in the book. As well as, wanting to learn and implement more DIR with my own son! The practicality of the treatment plans implemented at the Rebecca School had me nodding “yes” throughout the book, and envious at the same time that my son doesn’t attend the school. Lastly, the brilliant excerpts from the late Dr. Greenspan made me feel like I was so lucky to be under his tutelage.

As I mentioned earlier, I was intrigued when I first learned about DIR. After reading this book and feeling so connected with the children highlighted in the cases and hearing the parents’ personal experiences, it now has me—Respecting DIR!

You should pick this book up…you won’t put it down!” - parent and blogger at PARENTING KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

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“I truly believe that this book is a valuable addition to the shelves of both therapists, special education teachers, and parents of autistic children. These are proven techniques and strategies for the former to put in place, and for the latter to insist upon. An intriguing book that provides methods for hope.” - Hubert O’Hearn, San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Review

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“In this useful volume, Tippy–clinical director at New York’s Rebecca School, a therapeutic institute in Manhattan for children with special needs–and Greenspan, who, when he died last year, left a legacy of pioneering work with autistic children. profile 16 students on the autism spectrum, describing their rocky histories in the medical and special education systems, the concerns and fears of their parents, and the ways in which the Rebecca School’s transdisciplinary approach helped them reach developmental milestones: attention, communication, problem solving, comparative thinking, etc. As he did as a consultant to the Rebecca School, Greenspan makes recommendations to amplify successes and push through limitations. Parents of children who respond poorly to therapy systems based on memory and behavior, will be rallied by Tippy’s stories, while educators will be roused by his critique of “evidence-based” systems of rewards and punishments that dehumanize autistic children whose core deficits, Tippy says, can best be addressed through respectful relationships. Anyone working with autistic children will find surprising insights and effective tools in this practical yet deeply empathetic volume.” - Publishers Weekly, 1/2/2012

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                                                                                                                    Autism Light honors Dr. Gil Tippy as a ‘diverse hero in and for the autism community’

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“It is every parent’s dream to have an alert, happy child like the one on the cover of Respecting Autism: The Rebecca School DIR Casebook for Parents and Professionals by Stanley I. Greenspan, MD and Gil Tippy, PsyD. There is no limit for parents with a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)  in the hoops they will go through and the bells and whistles they will buy to help their child. As no two children with autism are the same, therefore approaches to reach them and guide them to their full potential are different also. Which program or approach is best? How can parents and educators know where to turn? Become informed, read and research. One book you should read is Respecting Autism.” - Special Needs Book Review (SpecialNeedsBookReview.com) by Lorna d’Entremon, 2/5/12