Prior to MacIntyre, Mary* had not left home for nearly two years, had not been receiving any form of education and was completely nocturnal - sleeping all day and awake all night. Her independence skills were minimal. This is Mary’s story.
Mary moved to MacIntyre School and Children’s Homes 18 months ago. As with all the young people we support, we have put a whole team around Mary to make sure we really understand what makes sense for her: we have looked at her therapy input; her communication needs; what motivates her and really built a relationship with her.
At MacIntyre we use a technique called “Intensive Interaction”. This involves really understanding the fundamentals of communication for Mary, then mirroring what she does, and coming down to Mary’s level and engaging with her. Just through these changes we have been able to build a relationship with Mary.
Mary now baths twice a day, she goes to bed at night; she is using lots of different forms of communication, including objects of reference. The development of her communication skills has increased her independence - she will go and get it herself, pictures, and Intensive Interaction continues to be a huge part of her life.
Mary has come on so far - you may see her out for a walk, going to the supermarket and choosing her own shopping, or you may see her enjoying messy play.
She has become more independent - she will get herself a drink and will be involved in making her dinner. She goes to school. She goes out.
Mary’s story tells itself – such phenomenal progress which is directly due to the commitment of our staff, the value of the therapeutic input, and the MacIntyre staff team working to understand what makes sense to Mary and making sure that we put that in place. Mary’s family remain involved and enjoy spending time together.
*Name changed
