Teaching intensive interaction to paid carers: using the ‘communities of practice’ model to inform training

Abstract

Accessible summary This research project is about Intensive Interaction. Intensive Interaction is a way of communicating with people who have severe and profound learning disabilities and can be used with people who do not communicate with words. We asked three paid carers that trained in Intensive Interaction about their experience and how training had changed their work with people with learning disabilities. This research project matters to people with learning disabilities because it tries to find out the best way to train people to do this work. This could help make services better for everyone. SummaryThe engagement of people with learning disabilities in social communication is crucial to the development of relationships with others, a sense of social inclusion and self-worth. Intensive Interaction is an approach that can help carers develop their skills to engage people with severe and profound learning disabilities in personally relevant communication. Carers learn techniques by attending workshops offered by health and social care professionals, and this study seeks to explore the impact of one such training programme. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the lived experience of Intensive Interaction training and practice of three paid carers who worked with people with learning disabilities. Three superordinate themes emerged from the analysis: 'Investment', 'Outcomes' and 'Challenges'. Results suggest that participants had an overwhelmingly positive experience in learning and using Intensive Interaction and that coaching, supervision and support were vital. The clinical and practical implications for this are discussed.

Examining the impact of a city-wide intensive interaction staff training program for adults with profound and multiple learning disability: a mixed methods evaluation

“…Staff confidence and job satisfaction also increased. These findings support previous research whereby staff are able to participate in Intensive Interaction training and to implement the approach with the people they support (11,12,13,14). At a city wide level, the increase in staff confidence and job satisfaction extends previous research and is an important implication for services to consider in retaining staff.…”

“…As with previous studies (11)(12)(13)(14), challenges in the continued implementation of Intensive Interaction were identified. However, this study specifies these challenges in more depth.…”

“…Structures supporting the use of Intensive Interaction centred on training and the role of the Advanced Practitioner. The Advanced Practitioner role was viewed as vital but multi-faceted and previous research has not identified the importance of such a role (11)(12)(13)(14), albeit on-going coaching, supervision and support has been highlighted (11)(12)(13)(14). The Advanced Practitioner role was an important factor in maintaining a focus on Intensive Interaction across the day centres.…”

Staff experience of the implementation of intensive interaction within their places of work with people with learning disabilities and/or autism

“…Papers which were unrelated to intensive interaction, if the participants were not staff in organizations where it had been implemented, if papers were unrelated to those with diagnoses of learning disabilities and/or autism or if there was no distinction between staff if some had only used intensive interaction with those with alternative diagnoses Leaning, 2006;Sri-Amnuay, 2012;, one recruited female staff only (Bodicoat, 2013) and four studies were not explicit about gender (Clegg et al, 2018;Jones & Howley;Nagra et al, 2017;Rayner et al, 2016). Sample sizes ranged from three (Rayner et al, 2016) to 29 (Firth et al, 2008).…”

A narrative exploration of how curricula for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties shape and are shaped by the practices of their teachers

“…Interactions and social relationship building, between staff and pupils and all the variants of support staff, are key elements of curriculum design and associated pedagogic practice in PMLD schools (Rayner et al, 2016). The teachers in the study stressed that collaboration and co‐working were important ways in which they could make sense of the curriculum demands of teaching such a complex group, a finding that is in line with the research of Munde and Vlaskamp (2015).…”