| Us in a Bus

A few ways we have used a ball within our Intensive Interaction sessions recently have been:

To create a sensory experience, we have brought in a range of different balls for everybody to explore such as a big ball, a smaller ball, and a spikey ball. We chatted about how these might feel on their hands. We then rolled the ball up their arms in time with their sounds while echoing their sounds back to them.
A ball can often be a great piece of equipment to use to have a playful interaction. Somebody we see each week enjoys reaching into our trolley and throwing the ball onto the floor, watching it bounce and then laughs. He then chooses who the ball should go to next by pointing. We follow his lead, and this often turns into a joyful group interaction.
In a past session somebody we see used a ball to knock down a tower of blocks. We built a tower of blocks following his lead; he chose which blocks to use and where we placed them. When the tower was built, he threw the ball at the tower, and this made a big crash! This led to laughs and was a great interaction.
The use of a ball can be a great way to initiate fun games. We have had many games bouncing the ball with a lady we see. She will bounce the ball saying ‘bounce’ and we have to guess in which direction she will through the ball. She will often trick us and change the direction, so we miss the ball.

A Drum –

To embellish and echo sounds or movements- A great way of using the drum is to respond to their sounds by playing it in a variety of ways. For example, if somebody we see is making very quiet sounds, you could tap or scratch lightly on the drum, instead or as well as echoing with your own voice. Often this will get their attention, and we follow their lead and rhythm. If their sounds get louder, we can explore tapping the drum louder and also leaving pauses. This gives them space to consider if they want to continue this interaction. This is a great way to embellish their communication and let them know we are following their lead and pace.
Sensory exploration- offering a drum to explore feeling the different vibrations. The texture of the drum and the many different sounds a drum can make adds interest and motivation to interactions. They may perhaps tap the drum, which will create a light vibration, or bang the drum which will create a bigger vibration. The sensory feedback through the fingernails that is acquired when scratching the surface of a drum can be very useful for those who need to feel sensation in their fingertips.
A way to join in on our session by minimising the pressure to vocalise. Some of the people we see may be quieter than others and therefore may find joining in sessions with their voice a little overwhelming. In this case offering a drum can be beneficial. We let them know we are listening out for the drum if they would like to play, then if we hear the drum, we notice this and focus on them. Using this technique in sessions has given us the opportunity to establish a connection whilst reducing the pressure for people to respond orally.
Connecting through songs- music is often a part of our interactive sessions. The use of a drum is great, as we can connect a group together in the following way. We sing a song and leave pauses, offering the drum to each person in the group. Should they wish, they can fill these gaps by using the drum in some way. We repeat this until everyone has had a turn. This creates a shared experience and connection between the group as we point out and emphasise with who is filling in the pauses to everyone, celebrating the collaboration.
Exploring suspense and anticipation. Interactions can become very playful and exciting if we create suspense within them. This in turn motivates people to become involved. An example of this is by wondering who would like to play the drum next and explaining that whoever makes the next sound/movement/change of expression will be the next player. Often there develops a tangible yet unspoken atmosphere of competitiveness that provides huge opportunity for exploring the nature of the relationships between those in the group.

A piece of fabric

Connecting a group- Bringing everyone together by using a piece of fabric often leads to a meaningful connection between the group members. Often, we start this interaction by singing our resolution song. As we sing, we wave the fabric in the air, while singing everyone’s names in turn, taking note of who responds during the space we leave at the end of the verse. We offer each person the opportunity to lead our song and explore the fabric and stand above them waving the fabric, leaving pauses for them to contribute a sound or movement that we use to extend their verse. We move the fabric in time with their pace, perhaps their breathing tempo or the speed they are vocalising or tapping their foot, letting them know we are following their lead. towards the end of our song, we usually offer the fabric for some sensory exploration. There is often an enjoyable, playful, anticipatory and competitive feeling to the interaction as the people in the group experiment with how quickly they can “bagsy” the verse.
Storytelling– Start by offering different fabrics with different colours and textures. Firstly, we observe how they respond to this and mirror their actions if they touch the fabric, we touch the fabric and chat about this, if they scrunch the fabric we scrunch the fabric. Once they have become familiar with the different fabrics, we can become more playful and make suggestions such as” this brown piece of fabric could look like a bear’. Following their cues you create a story together by continuing to embellish the narrative, basing your story upon their responses to what they are feeling/hearing/seeing/. The creativity is in not being drawn into traditional and predictable stories and finding imaginative ways to include the sounds and movements that people make. We are able to create a meaningful and engaging storytelling experience together, within which they are the author.
Exploring senses and textures- Bringing in a range of different fabrics into our interactive sessions offers each person we see time to explore a range of different colours, textures and explore how they feel. Sitting with each person and offering them each piece of fabric to explore provides a non-pressured focus to shared time. Chatting about the colour and how the fabric may feel to them, mirroring exactly how they explore the material and noting their responses gives us insight into their sensory world.
Responding to sounds and/or movements- I have had some very connecting moments with the people we see, using fabric to respond to them. As they make a sound and/or movement we woosh the fabric in the air while echoing their sound. During this interaction placement is key. We often place the fabric above their head and move in time with their sounds, leaving pauses for them to process. We follow their pace and wait for them to continue this interaction. By moving the fabric in time with their sounds/movements we are offering them the opportunity to notice they have control, and the fabric will move when they tell us to move it. It also provides visual feedback to reinforce their recognition they are being responded to in this way, and the breeze created offers a subtle (or les subtle) sensory aspect that may be appreciated by those who may miss the visual aspect. We have found that this response without echoing vocalisations can be a useful way of reducing arousal levels and agitation. It gives the message of validation without any increase in sound.

Disclaimer: Us in a Bus cannot accept liability for any errors in this publication. No part of this publication can be reproduced, in any form, without the written permission of Us in a Bus