Intensive Interaction: The benefits for families and communities.
By Carol Thomas
We often talk about our aims and purpose of using the approach known as Intensive Interaction. In our delivery of II we obviously focus on the people we see. Our aims and our purpose often remain the same although our time with each person varies. We spend one hour with them each week, either on a 2:1 basis or within a group setting, and the person’s well-being, supporting their self-confidence and reinforcing their sense of importance form the core of our interaction together. We keep notes that highlight what happened within the session, and then utilise these to give an overall picture of the most significant moments throughout a year that define our input. The impact of the sessions on the individual can often be seen in their willingness to engage, their acceptance and tolerance of touch and on some micro level, moments where they recognise that they are in control of the interaction: ‘ah ha’ moments (if you will) that draw them out from their internal worlds and into connection with the outer world.
Melanie Nind is one of the leading figures in Intensive Interaction. She was at the forefront of highlighting the positive impact that II had on the sociability and increased connection of people with learning disabilities in her paper ‘Efficacy of Intensive Interaction: developing sociability and communication with people with severe and complex learning difficulties using an approach based on caregiver-infant interaction’. The article, printed in the European Journal of special educational needs in the 1990’s, included outcomes such as increased eye contact in those not having previously done so. Put in a link to the article if possible here.
Much as Melanie highlighted in this article, we also feel that the benefits of an interaction session reach beyond the hour of our contact and beyond the person with whom we’re interacting. Whether the person lives at home with their parent/s or within a home surrounded by support workers, improved communication and connection can result from Intensive Interaction, leading to a reduction in the caregiver’s stress levels. Intensive Interaction focuses on mutual engagement, utilising eye contact, mirroring and mutual shared experiences in order to connect in a non-verbal way. What a relief it must be for those directly supporting to have a strong basis on which to develop and further their relationship together than this mutual connection. We’ve all experienced moments with friends where we feel connected, understood and accepted. We have all, unconsciously or not, felt more connected to people that use our language (and by language I don’t necessarily limit this to verbal interactions). As we chat over coffee, we lean in, we maintain eye contact, we show joyful understanding in our body language, facial expression and mirroring. Similarly, we have probably all experienced the frustration and negative emotions that come with misunderstandings. Intensive Interaction can assist caregivers to tune in to the person’s body language, sounds and movements, resulting in a more positive outcome overall. Never was this more poignant than during our Elements event earlier this year, when a home member of staff accompanying one of our guests, was able to witness the joy of connection, the physical smiles and happiness as Jim experienced a completely immersive, Intensive Interaction experience.
By moving toward what a person may be seeking instead of moving away from it we can address any incongruent moments. Utilising Intensive Interaction in this way, we can maximise moments of shared enjoyment. An example of this happened during a recent session with Mick. We noted that whenever he made vocalisations in often subtle/whispered ways, there were soft words within the sounds. We were able to pick out and celebrate these words, repeating them, sometimes in a rhythmical way along with his rocking. He would smile or laugh in response. This brief but significant moment of connection can happen not just for us, but with their carers as they implement the principles of II in their interactions. Persuading them that this is so is sometimes challenging, as we may be seen as “specialists”. Whilst the nature of our work supports us to be experienced, it certainly does not preclude those who have different opportunities, responsibilities or roles from having the same connection.
Occasionally we get to work with individuals who live in an environment shared with siblings or other family members. This opens up wonderful possibilities to facilitate more inclusive interactions where everyone feels valued and heard. As with Mick above, we were able to introduce a turn taking exchange between him and his brother which led to a sharing of his apparent joy of drumming and tapping. Celebrating this shared language between the two siblings could (if consistently used over time) eventually lead to fewer conflicts and a greater sense of peace and harmony between the brothers.
In the wider context, this shift towards inclusion and celebration not only has a positive effect on the families themselves, but there may be a ripple effect as this disseminates into the wider community and negative judgement reduces. What may be construed as ‘challenging behaviours’, may diminish as the person is better connected and understood through the implementation of Intensive Interaction.
On a micro level again, the fundamentals of communication, including the following demonstrate the benefits of Intensive Interaction to the person: Enjoyment of being with another person, Enhanced concentration and attention span, development in the abilities to attend to other person, turn taking exchanges, sharing of personal space, use and understanding of eye contact and facial expressions as well as non-verbal communication, use of vocalisations with meaning and for the person to be able to regulate and control arousal levels. The implications of strengthened care giver/family and person relationships for the wider community isn’t hard to fathom, and the benefits must surely necessitate us to strive towards Intensive Interactions inclusion in all walk of life.
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