What is Intensive Interaction?
Intensive Interaction is an intervention that aims to build a child's fundamental communication skills – (e.g. eye contact, shared enjoyment and turn-taking) to support the development of positive relationships, early social communication, and listening and attention skills.
Intensive Interaction aims to support the development of the ‘roots’ of language development, which include attention, play, shared enjoyment, and eye contact in a naturalistic and non-direct way. It reinforces the message to those involved in the interaction that they are good to be with and that others are good to be with too.
The 7 Stages of Intensive Interaction
- Stage 1 Encounter:
The child will allow adults to be near them in their personal space.
- Stage 2 Awareness:
The child will show some awareness of adults being near them and give fleeting glances.
- Stage 3 Attend and Respond:
The child will look at the adult for 1-3 seconds during their play.
- Stage 4 Engagement:
The child will look at the adult for 3 or more seconds.
- Stage 5: Participation:
The child will allow the adult to take at least 4 turns in your play together.
- Stage 6 Involvement:
The child will prompt the adult to restart the interaction when the adult pauses.
- Stage 7 Initiation:
The child will independently initiate an interaction or play with the adult.
7 Top Tips for Implementing
Intensive Interaction
- You don’t have to be AN EXPERT. You just have to follow the learner’s lead and embrace the silliness!
- There is no one right way to do intensive interaction; you just have to be responsive to the learner
- Give the learner time to respond, patience is key!
- You don’t need specific toys or activities; you just need to be present and in the moment.
- Spread your moments of intensive interaction across the day but also incorporate them within your daily activities.
- Stop if the learner becomes distressed or moves away during the interaction.
Adults can try again after 5-10 minutes. - Have Fun!
More information:
www.intensiveinteraction.co.uk
https://davehewett.com/about-intensive-interaction/
https://www.phoebecaldwell.co.uk/work.asp
http://www.phoebecaldwell.co.uk/speak.pdf