When communication looks different: finding connection through Intensive Interaction

In every setting that supports people with autism or severe learning difficulties, there are moments when staff want very much to connect with someone but are not quite sure how. The person in front of them may not use spoken language, or may use it in ways that are difficult to interpret. Eye contact may be brief or absent. Familiar prompts may not get a response. It can leave staff feeling that they are doing all the talking and the person they support is somewhere else entirely.

Intensive Interaction is an approach designed for exactly these situations. Rather than trying to teach a person to communicate in the way we expect, it starts from the assumption that communication is already happening. The work, then, is to slow down enough to notice what the person is doing, to recognise it as communication and to respond in a way that builds on it. Over time, this creates the foundations of a shared 'language' between two people, sometimes deeper than words.

What Intensive Interaction actually is

Intensive Interaction was developed in the UK and has been used for several decades in schools, day services, residential settings and family homes. It is rooted in the way babies and young children learn to communicate, long before they have words, through turn-taking, shared attention, eye contact, facial expression and play. Many of the people who benefit most from Intensive Interaction did not have those early communication experiences in the typical way, or for the typical length of time. The approach offers a way to revisit and build those foundations gently, at any age.

In practice, this often involves following the person's lead, mirroring their sounds, movements or rhythms, leaving space for them to respond and treating every response as meaningful. None of it requires equipment or scripts. What it does require is attention, patience and a willingness to put aside the agenda for a moment and simply be with the person.

More than a technique

It is easy to talk about Intensive Interaction as a set of techniques, and there is a practical side to learning how to do it well. But staff who have used the approach for a while often describe it less as something they do and more as a shift in how they see the person they support. Behaviour that previously looked random starts to look intentional. Small movements, sounds or gestures begin to read as attempts to communicate. The person stops being someone who needs to learn how to interact and becomes someone whose interaction was already there, waiting to be noticed.

This shift has practical consequences. Staff become more able to recognise early signs of communication, which often means recognising early signs of distress before they escalate. They become more able to identify what triggers sensory overload for a particular person and to adapt the environment accordingly. They become more confident in writing meaningful, individual plans because they have a clearer sense of who the person is and how they engage with the world.

A different way to think about behaviour

One of the quietest but most important effects of Intensive Interaction is the way it changes the conversation around behaviour. When the focus is on connection, staff naturally begin to ask different questions. Rather than 'how do we stop this behaviour', the question becomes 'what is this person finding difficult right now, and how can we help'. Behaviour starts to be read as communication about an experience, rather than as a problem to manage.

This can be a significant change in settings where behaviour has been the dominant lens. It does not mean ignoring safety or boundaries. It means widening the picture so that responses are based on what is actually happening for the person, not just on what is visible from the outside.

Where it can make a difference

Intensive Interaction has a particular place in work with non-verbal children and adults with autism or profound learning disabilities, but the underlying principles are useful across a much wider range of settings. Mainstream classrooms, specialist provision, day services and residential settings have all found that staff who understand the approach are better able to support people whose communication is hard to read.

How Concept Training can help

Our Intensive Interaction course is designed for anyone supporting people with autism or severe learning difficulties, across any age group. It introduces the approach, explores what it looks like in practice and gives staff the chance to think through how they would use it with the individuals they are currently working with. The focus throughout is on building real confidence and practical skill, so that staff leave with something they can put into action straight away.

As with all our courses, this training is written and delivered by the same experienced trainer, drawing on years of direct practice. For over 27 years we have supported schools, trusts, local authorities and care organisations across the UK and overseas to think differently about how they connect with the people they support.

 

If you would like to find out more about our Intensive Interaction course or discuss training options for your team, you can browse our upcoming courses at www.concept-training.co.uk/courses or get in touch directly to discuss what would suit your setting best.