How Intensive Interaction Helps Build Connections
-Blog Series with our Speech and Language Therapist, Jodee Simpson-
About Jodee:
HCPC registered Speech and Language Therapist and a certified member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
Jodee’s Expertise:
Specialising in Eating, Drinking & Swallowing, Learning Disabilities and Autism.
Advocacy:
Keynote Speaker, Guest Lecturer, Author, and Co-founder of the UK’s first peer support network for neurodivergent speech and language therapists.
Intensive interaction is a method of communication that focuses on body language, behaviours, sounds, movements, and rhythms to engage with the person. This approach aims to create emotional connections and shift the person’s attention from solitary self-stimulation to shared activities. The goal is to move towards shared activities, as that is where the purpose of communication becomes clear. Because if you’re not sharing your world with anybody, you’ve got no reason to communicate.
Finding a Way into People’s Own Worlds
People who have traditionally been labelled as “hard to read” or “hard to reach” often refer to people who are non-speaking, have a minimal amount of speech, or are very much in their own world. We often see these as people who are living in their own world and find it hard to interact with others or appear uninterested in others.
‘One of the building blocks of communication and language development is that language develops through interactions and being motivated to interact with others. So, the people we work with don’t always see others as necessary for getting what they need or don’t know how to enjoy spending time with people. But it’s the same for us as the communication partner—if that person is in their own world and doesn’t really show much interest in the world around them, we often find it hard to connect with them.
As a speech and language therapist, I help people connect with those we support. But to do that, sometimes we need to find a way into that person’s world.
We use an ‘Intensive Interaction’ approach, which is a powerful tool.’
Communication Through Interaction
For connecting with people who have severe learning disabilities and behavioural needs, especially when they are in distress, the key is often tuning in to their way of being. Not necessarily their way of communicating, but the way they interact with the world, because that is not the same thing.
‘For example, when we think of communication, we often think of two people, don’t we? We think of one person approaching the other and saying, “I want this.”; “Give me that.”; “Give me a sandwich. I’m hungry.” Also, when two people enjoy spending time together, there is usually some level of interaction, which we often think is communication.
But communication, at the very basic level, if you think about a very small child, a little baby, they are not born with an innate ability to talk. But they are born with a sensory system. Parents have to tune in to that baby’s sensory system. So, when that baby looks distressed or is crying, a parent will tune in to the child and try to soothe them in some way. They often try to gain the baby’s attention. For example, you might do silly things. Parents are always making silly faces or little noises.
Your face becomes highly expressive. Quite often, if you look at a parent and a very small child together, you will see the child making elaborate facial expressions, and the parent is often copying the child. When the child learns that the parent is fun to be around, that they are animated in their expressions, they may start to imitate what the parent is doing.
I have a video of my son when he was about nine months old. He crawled over to the washing machine, opened the door, put some clothes in it, just like he had seen me do, shut the door, and went: Bang, bang, bang! He hit the door, making a noise. So, he was communicating, “This is what the washing machine does when it’s spinning. Yes, he was communicating that. And then he said something that, to me, sounded just like when I say, “The washing’s ready”—because the melody of his voice was the same as mine. He did not have the words, but that was how he communicated.’
The Science Behind Sensory Communication and Mirroring
A very small child learns different things from their environment, so they begin to communicate through sound and their sensory experiences – through rhythm. They create rhythms that mirror what they hear. And then, when they vocalise, the rhythm matches the other person’s intonation. So, yes – sensory experiences are how we begin to communicate as very small children.
‘Some non-speaking adults with severe learning disabilities are also at this stage of language development. They are in the sensory stage and are still in the process of learning rhythms, sounds, and patterns – but it takes them much longer.
Think about when two people meet for coffee – perhaps you’ve met someone new or you’re meeting a friend. If you observe two people in conversation, you’ll notice how, when one person gestures in a certain way, the other starts doing the same.
Before you realise it, both of you are mirroring each other’s movements.’
We can’t help it – it’s instinctive. By mirroring someone, you are tuning in to their way of being and creating a sense of connection and comfort. This process makes people feel more at ease because, by mirroring their actions, you are demonstrating interest in them. You are showing interest in the way they show interest.
‘This makes them feel more comfortable and understood. That is the science behind how it works. But we also see this in the animal world. Take cats, for instance—when they approach you, their tails move at a specific speed, and they subtly encourage you to stroke them at that same pace. It’s fascinating – so clever.’
How Sensory Mirroring Works
With the people we’re working with, we must tune in to their actions. There was one person I worked with before they were admitted to a mental health hospital. They had autism and a severe learning disability. To be honest, they weren’t very well at all.
I could only engage with them by simply sitting quietly with them. I didn’t speak to them as they were overwhelmed by everything. I just sat alongside observing their actions. For example, if they moved their hand, I would do the same. I noticed they were blinking quite hard, so I started to blink the same way. I didn’t say anything, but I knew they had some level of understanding.
As I copied their actions, they started to notice. I could see the corners of their mouth begin to turn up, and they started to smile. Then, I heard a little giggle. Encouraged by this, I decided to make it a bit more elaborate and did a few silly things with my hands. We carried on, making ridiculous movements with no talking at all, just laughing together.
The aim was to help them feel comfortable enough to speak again, but I understood they didn’t feel safe enough to talk at that moment. My approach was to create a safe environment through laughter. We started with blinking and ended up acting like clowns, being silly and playful.
It was wonderful because they were laughing so hard by the end that they spontaneously started talking again. It was a breakthrough. After that, I trained their support workers on how to do intensive interaction, showing them how to create an environment where the person felt safe and comfortable.
To be continued…
Stick around for our monthly blog series, with first-hand information on approaches and practices our specialists employ when supporting people in complex situations, with multiple needs.
Explore our multidisciplinary team’s expertise and get the support you require!
Download our Case Studies
Table of Contents
Related articles
Sensory overload is a common experience for many autistic people, where heightened sensitivity to sounds, lights, textures, or social environments can lead to stress and anxiety…
Autistic people naturally communicate differently than neurotypicals, which means that their communication styles must be respected…
Social Isolation in Autism
Social isolation in autism is a deeply impactful and often overlooked challenge that many autistic people and those with an intellectual disability face…
