ICDL Inc

What ICDL Inc does

ICDL Inc, operating as the International Council on Development and Learning, is a US-based not-for-profit organization founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, with a secondary training facility (the DIR Institute) in Livingston, New Jersey. The organization is the official home and rights-holder of the DIR® and DIRFloortime® trademarks and methodology, a developmental, individual-differences, relationship-based intervention framework originally developed by the late Dr. Stanley Greenspan. Its core technology is the DIR model itself, structured around six Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities (FEDCs) and operationalized through the DIRFloortime approach, which targets engagement, two-way communication, shared problem solving, symbolic thinking, and logical reasoning in individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental differences.

ICDL's commercial product surface spans an introductory DIR 101 course (12 hours), an advanced professional certificate track (DIR 201-204) with ASHA continuing education credits, a DIR accreditation program, week-long in-person intensives at the DIR Institute, virtual parent consultations, individual and organizational coaching, and a searchable provider directory (the DIRectory) covering practitioners in over 50 countries. Revenue mechanics are primarily professional services (course fees and coaching) supplemented by curriculum licensing to approved third-party training centers and trainers, with pricing structured on a pay-as-you-go basis and modest early-bird discounts. The go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer outreach to parents and caregivers (via the Affect Autism partnership, the ICDL website, and a multilingual live-online course format available in at least 11 languages) with a B2B/professional channel serving occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, educators, and other clinicians, in addition to an annual DIRFloortime conference as a flagship community event.

The organization is governed by a board led by Board President Emile Gouws, PhD, with CEO Jeffrey Guenzel, EdD, LPC, running day-to-day operations, and is supported by a global faculty of DIR experts. As a not-for-profit with no parent company, no disclosed venture or private equity ownership, and no reported funding rounds, ICDL's growth has been funded internally through course, licensing, intensives, and donation revenue, with a clearly stated internationalization strategy evidenced by its 2022 rebrand and multilingual, multi-country distribution footprint.

Name

ICDL Inc

Legal name

The International Council on Development and Learning, Inc.

Website

https://icdl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ICDL Inc is a US not-for-profit organization and the official home of the DIR® and DIRFloortime® methodology, offering professional training courses, certification, week-long clinical intensives, and parent coaching services to therapists, educators, and families of children with autism and neurodevelopmental differences worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Developmental Intervention Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Inclusion, Special Needs & Early Intervention Training (IEPs/IFSPs, Neurodiversity) (EDACAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG), Pediatric Rehabilitation & Developmental Therapy Centers (PT/OT/SLP) (HLAFAJAL), Inclusive Infant & Toddler Care (Special Needs / IFSP-Aligned) (EDACAGAI)

Keywords

• DIRFloortime training
• Developmental intervention certification
• Autism therapy training
• Professional continuing education
• Parent coaching services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Courses: ICDL offers DIR 101 courses (12-hour introductory courses) and advanced DIR courses (DIR 201, 202, 203, 204) taught live online and in-person worldwide. Course fees vary by offering. The company provides professional continuing education (CE) credits for various professions including Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Counselors, Social Workers, Educators, Music Therapists, Physical Therapists, Early Intervention Specialists, Recreational Therapists, Certified Family Life Educators, and Psychologists.
2. DIR Institute Services: The DIR Institute provides virtual Floortime coaching programs (DIR Home Program) for parents and week-long intensive Floortime programs at the institute in Livingston, NJ. The institute also offers individual DIRFloortime mentoring for professionals and organizational DIRFloortime mentoring and coaching services.
3. Licensed Course Fees: ICDL licenses its curriculum to third-party trainers and training centers around the world. These licensed courses use ICDL's curriculum and are approved by ICDL as official DIRFloortime courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ICDL delivers the DIRFloortime® developmental intervention through a tiered training curriculum (DIR 101 introduction, DIR 201-204 advanced courses) available live online and in-person worldwide, plus DIR® Accreditation for practitioners. The DIR Institute in Livingston, NJ provides week-long intensive Floortime programs for families, virtual parent consultations, and individual/organizational mentoring and coaching. The organization licenses its curriculum to approved trainers and training centers across 50+ countries.

Product overview

ICDL Inc is a not-for-profit organization that serves as the official home of DIR® and DIRFloortime®, offering a comprehensive training and certification ecosystem for developmental intervention. The core offerings include DIR 101 introductory courses and advanced DIR certificate courses (DIR 201-204) available live online and in-person internationally. The DIR Institute provides intensive week-long Floortime programs in Livingston, NJ and manages DIR accreditation for professionals. ICDL also offers virtual parent consultations, individual mentoring, and organizational coaching services. Educational resources include the Greenspan Podcast archive and the DIRectory provider directory. The organization provides professional continuing education credits for multiple disciplines including speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, counselors, social workers, educators, and psychologists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DIR 101: An Introduction to DIR® and DIRFloortime® A 12-hour introductory course that reviews the theoretical framework, scientific evidence, and scope of application of the DIR model promoting functional emotional developmental capacities. Available live online and in-person worldwide for both professionals and parents.
• DIRFloortime® Professional Certificate Courses (DIR 201-204) Advanced certificate program courses for professionals seeking in-depth training in DIR and DIRFloortime methodology, ranging from DIR 201 through DIR 204 with varying ASHA CEU credit hours (2.80 CEUs for DIR 201-203; 1.60 CEUs for DIR 204 at Advanced level).
• DIR® Intensives at the DIR® Institute Week-long intensive Floortime coaching programs at ICDL's DIR Institute in Livingston, NJ, USA, where families attend with their children and receive hands-on coaching from DIR experts.
• DIR® Accreditation Professional accreditation program for DIRFloortime practitioners, managed by the DIR Institute to ensure quality and fidelity to the DIR model.
• Virtual Floortime Consultations for Parents Individualized virtual consultations for parents new to Floortime or those interested in learning about Floortime Intensives. Includes video review of parent-child interactions and parent coaching exploration.
• Individual Mentoring and Organizational Coaching Individual DIRFloortime mentoring for professionals and organizational DIRFloortime mentoring and coaching services provided by DIR experts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children diagnosed with ASD can develop abilities formerly thought unobtainable: intimacy with adults and peers, empathy, creative and logical thinking
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Affect AutismcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAffect Autism is ICDL's parent peer support and education partnering website. They provide weekly live online parent peer support sessions and many great resources from parents for parents. This partnership supports ICDL's mission to reach and support parents of children with developmental challenges.
• Approved Network of Trainers and Training CenterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorICDL has an approved network of trainers and training centers around the world. These partners use ICDL's approved curriculum and meet quality, fidelity, and curriculum standards. They offer DIRFloortime courses in over 50 countries including USA, Australia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia, UK, and many others.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Autism Speaks: Autism Speaks is the largest US autism advocacy non-profit, funding research, family services, and policy advocacy. It serves overlapping family and clinician audiences and influences payer and policy positions on which autism interventions gain mainstream traction, including DIRFloortime versus ABA.
• Zero to Three: Zero to Three is a major US non-profit focused on early childhood development, originally co-founded by Dr. Stanley Greenspan, ICDL's founder. It is a broad incumbent in the early childhood professional training and policy space, addressing overlapping audiences (parents, pediatric professionals, policymakers) but with a much wider scope than ICDL's DIR-specific focus.

Others

• Association for Science in Autism Treatment: ASAT is a non-profit that disseminates evidence-based information about autism interventions to parents and professionals. While not a direct competitor in training, it influences which autism methodologies (including DIRFloortime) gain credibility with clinicians and families, making it an adjacent ecosystem player for ICDL.
• International Society for Autism Research (INSAR): INSAR hosts the leading annual autism research conference and influences the evidence-based hierarchy that determines which interventions gain academic and clinical legitimacy. ICDL's board president sits on INSAR committees, making this a critical ecosystem institution for DIRFloortime's scientific positioning.
• Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB): The BACB is the credentialing body for Board Certified Behavior Analysts, the practitioners who deliver ABA. It is the institutional counterweight to ICDL's DIRFloortime accreditation model and is highly relevant for understanding the competitive ABA training and certification ecosystem that ICDL operates against.

Emerging players

• JASPER (Kasari Lab at UCLA): JASPER is a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI) for autism developed at UCLA with strong RCT evidence. It is an emerging evidence-based competitor and potential partner modality to DIRFloortime, targeting the same age range and family/therapist audiences.

Direct peers

• STAR Institute for Sensory Processing: STAR Institute, founded by Dr. Lucy Miller, is a non-profit treatment, research, and training center for children with sensory processing challenges and developmental differences. It is comparable to ICDL in that it offers professional certification programs, parent training, and intensive clinical interventions for neurodevelopmental populations.
• The PLAY Project: The PLAY Project is a non-profit autism intervention program based on the DIR/Floortime philosophy, founded by Dr. Rick Solomon. It trains professionals and parents in a relationship-based, developmental approach comparable to ICDL's DIRFloortime offerings and serves overlapping clinician and family audiences.
• The Hanen Centre: The Hanen Centre is a Canadian non-profit that trains speech-language pathologists and parents in early childhood communication and language interventions. It is a direct comparable in mission, audience (SLPs, parents of young children), and revenue model (certified training courses with CE credits), though its focus is language rather than broader developmental capacities.
• Profectum: Profectum is a non-profit that trains professionals and parents in the DIRFloortime model. It is the most direct functional peer to ICDL, having been founded by former ICDL/Greenspan-affiliated clinicians and offering overlapping certificate programs, parent education, and clinical conferences in the same DIR framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/dirfloortime
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ICDLHomeofDIRFloortime
• Facebookfacebook.com/dirfloortime
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icdl-dirfloortime
• Instagraminstagram.com/icdl_dirfloortime?utm_medium=copy_link

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICDL Inc