Mary Gianatasio
Mary Gianatasio has over 20 years of experience supporting children across home, school, and community settings. While teaching at a preschool, Mary developed a deep commitment to inclusive education models and relationship-based learning. She went on to work at a developmental, play-based clinic called LEEP Forward, where she spent nearly a decade helping to develop and refine its programs. During this time, Mary designed and implemented an integrated, inclusive preschool program to support children with diverse learning profiles in preparing for successful entry into mainstream kindergarten programs throughout the Chicago area, where she was born and raised.
Mary now works closely with families and private independent schools to design, implement, and sustain individualized learning and support plans for children with developmental differences, sensory and regulation challenges, ADHD, learning disabilities, and autism. Her work often includes collaborating with school leadership and teaching teams, providing consultation and coaching, and placing and supervising 1:1 classroom aides to support students' access to curriculum, participation in classroom routines, and social-emotional regulation throughout the school day. Mary's approach emphasizes helping children feel safe, understood, and capable within their school environments while supporting schools in building inclusive, developmentally appropriate systems of care.
At the heart of Mary's practice is the DIR®/Floortime™ model—a relationship-based, developmental approach that prioritizes emotional connection, regulation, and intrinsic motivation, and differs significantly from traditional behavioral models. Her work focuses on strengthening learning readiness, engagement, and social connection by meeting children where they are developmentally and supporting growth through attuned, playful, and intentional interactions.
Education & Certifications
Mary studied psychology at St. Xavier University and has pursued advanced post-graduate training through the ICDL DIR®/Floortime™ Institute for many years. She is a certified DIR®/Floortime™ Clinician (Infant and Pediatric Mental Health) through both ICDL (Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders) and Profectum Academy. She also holds certifications in The Listening Program (TLP), NeuroNet, and has completed the Clinical Training Fellowship in Social Thinking in Boston, MA. In addition, Mary is trained in the Orton-Gillingham structured literacy approach for supporting children with dyslexia.
Mary remains deeply committed to the philosophy and practice of DIR®/Floortime™ and continues to engage in collaborative, interdisciplinary work with respected professionals in pediatric mental health, developmental therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology to ensure thoughtful, coordinated support for the children and families she serves.
How Our Approach Differs from Behaviorist Models
Therapeutic Play LA uses a developmental, relationship-based approach grounded in the DIR®/Floortime™ model, which differs significantly from traditional behaviorist or compliance-based interventions.
Instead of targeting isolated behaviors, we focus on:
- Emotional regulation and nervous system support
- Social engagement and reciprocal interaction
- Developmental capacities that underlie learning and behavior
- Strength-based scaffolding through play, curiosity, and connection
We believe that behavior is communication and that meaningful growth occurs when children feel emotionally safe, attuned to, and supported by trusted adults. This approach allows skills to generalize naturally across settings—home, school, and community—rather than being dependent on external reinforcement systems.