Intensive Interaction

Intensive interaction focuses on teaching the child to build up his/her interaction/communication skills.

Stage 1

Adult copies child’s actions; child shows no awareness of being copied.

Stage 2

Child will look briefly at adult copying them.

Stage 3

Child will pause and watch adult copy them.

Stage 4

Child will demonstrate an action wait for adult to copy

Stage 5

Adult performs action and child will copy

The Advantages of using Intensive Interaction with your children are:

• To build up attentions and listening skills
• Enjoyment of being with another person
• Turn taking in behaviour changes
• Learn to share personal space
• Using & understanding touch or physical contact
• Using/copying facial expressions
• Using vocalisations with meaning
• Using/understanding eye contact
• Using non-verbal communication

Techniques that will be used during this intervention will be as follows:

• Physical contact
• Eye contact
• Vocal exchanging
• Behaviour mirroring
• Turn taking

THIS INTERVENTION SHOULD BE A JOINT FOCUSED ACTIVITY.

Steps to complete this intervention:

1 – Find a clear open space; ensure there are no obstacles in the way to avoid any trips or falls.

2 – Go down to child’s level, show the child ‘Intensive Interaction’ symbol and say ‘Time to copy’

3 – Sing the’ hello’ song linked to this intervention:

‘Hello (child’s name) hello (child’s name) hello (child’s name) it’s time to copy you’. (sing in the same theme tune as football crazy song)

4 – For up to 3 Minutes, adult to follow child around and copy all vocalisations and actions which the child carries out.

5 – At the end of the 3 minutes adult to go down to child’s level and sing the ‘Goodbye’ song linked to the intervention:

‘Goodbye (child’s name), Goodbye (Childs name) Good bye(Childs name) I’ve finished copying you’