By Sonya Cox, Best Practice Facilitator
To celebrate Intensive Interaction week, I have been asked to share a little about my journey., and the impact that Intensive Interaction has had on not only the people I have supported, but also on me.
Where to begin?
Intensive Interaction was first identified as a strategy to use with people with learning difficulties in the 1980s by Dave Hewitt and Melanie Nind. It may be hard to believe but I was a mere infant at the time. By the time their first publication was produced in 1994 I was not even in my teens!
I grew up wanting to understand human behaviour and although I studied psychology at A-Level and went on to gain both an undergraduate and master’s degree in the field, not once did Intensive Interactions appear as a topic in my studies. So, despite it being around for quite some time, it is safe to say I was oblivious to its existence until I started working at MacIntyre School 15 years ago.
During my time at the school I met an Assistant Psychologist who was doing a research paper on using Intensive Interactions and focussed on some of the young people at the time. Eager to learn more I attended a training course with her in Oxford with Jules McKim, an Intensive Interactions Care Co-Ordinator with Oxford NHS. Jules has played a key role in supporting MacIntyre on its journey with Intensive Interaction since then.
Having taken part in the training and watching my colleague put it into practice, I began to grasp the concept and made attempts to use such an approach myself. Yet it wasn’t until years later that this eventually became an integral part of our training programme at the school. We were fortunate to have training from Dave Hewitt himself and in time we had Kate Boyer become a mentor. Kate oversees the staff training and mentoring / implementation of Intensive Interaction in the school and children’s homes, alongside Anita Taylor. Kate’s positive outlook on life and compassionate approach really stands out. It was thanks to Kate’s supportive approach and Anita’s leadership that I have gotten through my competent practitioner status on a number of occasions now. Kate helped me to self-reflect and gave genuine and honest feedback, which has helped me grow in confidence. Kate’s enthusiasm was infectious and for the first time I felt I was doing it right because I finally had someone coaching me. I could see the outcome immediately through the bonds I developed with young people at the school.
Stories that matter
When it comes to bonds there are three key people that come to mind, who I would like to take some time to tell you about;
• One of them was a young man, from when MacIntyre supported me to complete a longitudinal programme with the Institute of Applied Behaviour Analysis, with Gary Lavigna. The young person was going through a difficult time and concerns had been raised about his change in behaviour and mental wellbeing. Many actions were identified in this review, but the most prominent one was the need for Intensive Interactions. So I went on a short journey to monitor the use of this more with the team and use it to build a rapport with him myself. Although this was not the sole action we took at the time, it was the most crucial in my mind as it helped build trusting relationships and confidence. We tuned into his needs and as a team started to see a shift for the better. He started to become more of his old self and visibly happier. Behaviours that had been seen as a concern reduced and overall wellbeing improved. Less time was spent with him pacing around and more time was spent just being with him and enjoying his company. A heart-warming outcome indeed.
• The second person is my son. He was born a year after my mother passed away. I was a mum for the first time and did not have the support from my parents. As some of you may know, parenting can be a challenging time indeed, both emotionally and physically, more so when grief strikes. Intensive Interaction became my way forward. Even though I questioned everything else, with it all being new to me, Intensive Interaction was the one thing I was confident about. I was able to form a strong attachment bond with my son. I could see the difference in his communication skills from an early age and really enjoyed those moments with him. As a proud mum I made sure I recorded as many videos as I could and sent them to Kate. It was a lovely moment when videos of my son were used to support training at the school. Videos which are still shown 6 years later. Knowing that my son has helped the learning of others fills me with joy. So with my new found excitement I ensured I used the same method with my daughter, seeing the same benefits unfold.
• The third person comes to light following my return to work from maternity leave in 2020/2021. Covid-19 was a big risk, and going back to work after a long period of time was hard’. I had practically been in isolation for best part of a year; I felt very lost and out of touch with everyone and everything. It took me a long time to get back into the swing of things and it is safe to say that Intensive Interactions helped me once again. This person I have in mind has an anxiety disorder which presented itself in many ways. At the time I was her allocated Positive Behaviour Support Lead and I spent a lot of time observing in the classroom. I used Intensive Interactions to bond with her. It wasn’t a new approach for staff as they had been using this strategy with her too, however, on this particular day, I recall a staff member saying to me in awe, “you have just done something with her I have never seen anyone else do before”…we ‘connected’. That moment for me made me feel great. This happened at the end of a term and we worried that anxieties would be worse after a school holiday, but on her return she was a changed person; calmer, and that is how we knew as a team we had made a difference.
I guess you could ask: ’how do you know you connected?’
Well, ever since that moment, this young lady has sought me out and we would have fun together and enjoy one another’s company. Even after I changed roles and rarely visited the school, she has never forgotten me…and I have never forgotten her. When we meet we pick up where we left off and time doesn’t matter, like with a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time, but feel comfortable being around…it’s exactly like that.
So, what now?
Well, starting from last month I have started my own journey to become an Intensive Interactions Mentor so I can support others to learn what I have learnt and coach people through it. I can honestly say I am an advocate of Intensive Interactions. It is so much more than communication. As you can see, it has helped me more than once and I know it has helped those around me to. So, if you are ever in doubt, I urge you to give it a try. You never know, you may surprise yourself.
