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Fostering social engagement in Romanian children with communicative impairments: the experiences of newly trained practitioners of Intensive Interaction
- Author:
- ZEEDYK Suzanne
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(3), September 2009, pp.186-196.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The experiences of practitioners using an interactive intervention as a means of promoting social engagement for individuals with communicative impairments is examined. Written reflections provided by 12 newly trained practitioners (young people working as volunteers for a two week period) were analysed. A thematic analysis indicated that one hour's training in Intensive Interaction was sufficient for (i) enabling trainees to identify key changes in children's engagement (e.g. increased attention to partner, decreased distress) and (ii) strengthening trainees' sense of connection to the children. If such brief training sessions are effective in improving communicative interactions, this offers benefits to health and education service providers seeking to implement communicative intervention programmes. While interactive approaches have potential in all regions, they may be particularly valuable in countries such as Romania, which face monumental financial challenges in improving standards of childcare.