Intensive Interaction Training
If someone with severe learning disabilities and/or autism is still at an early stage of communication, this is a valuable approach to passing on the fundamentals of pre-speech interaction. It’s what we see happening all the time with many very good support staff who bring members to the Music Gym – yet they may not recognise the term for what they’re doing.
These fundamentals include:
- learning to give attention to another person
- developing shared attention into activities
- taking turns
- having fun and playing together
- using and understanding facial expressions
- using and understanding eye contact
- using and understanding non-verbal communication, such as body language
Increasingly, we’ve come to realise that the growing relationship between carer and member is the most important aspect of the Music Gym. With this in mind, Angela Lane (the East Sussex Intensive Interaction Project Worker) makes regular visits to the Music Gym to talk to support staff.
Together we can offer training in Intensive Interaction, using Music Gym equipment to show just how much is possible.