The Differences between ABA and DIR Approaches to Behavioral Health
Published: Nov. 4, 2023Updated: Jun. 12, 2026
Behavioral therapy can help our kids build skills that help them communicate more effectively with peers, caregivers, and other people in their community, but there is more than one behavioral therapy approach to consider. Dr. Andrea Davis, a clinical psychologist and the president of the DIRFloortime Coalition of California, shares the differences between Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and the Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based (DIR) intervention model.
For more about behavior interventions, see our article about behavior interventions beyond ABA.
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