Mothers' experience of Intensive Interaction.

There is limited research into parents' experiences of Intensive Interaction. Despite this, there are parents who use it and may hold unique experiences. Exploring this could provide insight into how to support parents using Intensive Interaction. Six mothers, who used Intensive Interaction with their children with intellectual disabilities and/or autism, were interviewed. Results were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The analysis yielded 10 subordinate themes which were organised into 4 superordinate themes: 'The Connection', 'Bittersweet', 'Fighting for Support' and 'Challenging Underlying Low Expectations & Stigma'. Intensive Interaction was found to help some mothers feel connected with their child; they appeared to indicate that accessing timely support with Intensive Interaction was beneficial. Intensive Interaction was also perceived to challenge assumptions and stigma, but these factors were also perceived to be potential barriers to using the approach.

Staff experience of the implementation of intensive interaction within their places of work with people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

BACKGROUND: Intensive interaction is an approach used to develop the communication and social inclusion of those who are pre-verbal. It is used in a variety of settings by healthcare and educational staff. METHOD: A systematic search was conducted to identify and review the literature which explores staff experiences of intensive interaction being implemented within their places of work. Thematic synthesis was utilized to synthesize the findings. RESULTS: Nine papers were included. Three higher-order themes were generated: "Personal Doubt, Discordance & Discomfort," "A Turning Point" and "Needing Implementation at All Levels." CONCLUSIONS: There were consistent findings across a range of settings. Findings suggest that intensive interaction is rewarding for staff and beneficial to those that they work with. Implementation was sometimes perceived to be challenging and this review attempts to highlight solutions with guidance of the literature. Limitations largely relate to heterogeneity of the papers and methodological limitations are discussed.

Changes in understandings and perceptions of individuals, significant others and community supporters involved in a theatre company for adults with intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Theatre companies to show positive capabilities and identities of people with intellectual disabilities have been established. Existing research focuses upon sole theatre performances and rarely includes the impacts on those in the immediate and wider contexts of people with intellectual disabilities. METHODS: The impacts of a theatre company on understandings and perceptions of intellectual disabilities from multiple perspectives were explored. Interviews with members with intellectual disabilities (n = 14), and focus groups with significant people in their lives (n = 11) and community supporters (n = 10) were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four superordinate and nine subordinate themes were identified. The theatre company increased members' connectivity, allowed them to experience parts of life they are often excluded from, and enabled growth for all participants, leading to a desire to extend the theatre company's ethos elsewhere. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of such organisations to improve perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities is emphasized.

Families' experiences of raising concerns in health care services: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

BACKGROUND: This exploratory study aimed to increase understanding of the experiences of families of people with intellectual disabilities when noticing and raising concerns in services. A qualitative design was employed. METHODS: Seven participants (all female) were recruited through local and national voluntary agencies; five were mothers of people with intellectual disabilities, one was the aunt and one the sister. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews centred on their experiences of noticing and raising concerns, these were recorded and transcribed. The data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; Smith, 1996). RESULTS: The data were grouped into three superordinate themes: the nature and importance of concerns, relationships between familes and staff and the process of raising concerns. A key and surprising finding was the importance of "the little things." CONCLUSIONS: This research highlights important implications for services such as the need to simplify the process of raising concerns, attend to the relationship with families and ensure advocacy services are identified for those without family.

The Effectiveness of Intensive Interaction, A Systematic Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Intensive Interaction is an approach used for communicating with people with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities or autism. It has gained increased recognition as a helpful technique, but the evidence has not been systematically reviewed. METHOD: Computerized and hand searches of the literature were conducted using synonyms for 'intellectual disabilities', 'autism' and 'intensive interaction'. RESULTS: Fifteen quantitative and three qualitative papers were identified examining the efficacy of the approach with participants across the age range in both educational and residential settings. CONCLUSIONS: Studies were limited by the quality of reporting and difficulties conducting good quality, ethically sound research with participants with PMID. Staff support should be considered in training to aid implementation of interventions. Studies attempted to investigate whether Intensive Interaction builds social interactions or reduces repetitive or self-injurious behaviour. More research needs to be conducted before conclusions can be drawn regarding the efficacy of this approach.

The experience of carers in supporting people with intellectual disabilities through the process of bereavement: an interpretative phenomenological analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study explored the personal experiences of family carers and residential care staff in supporting adults with intellectual disabilities through the process of bereavement. METHOD: A semi-structured interview was used to interview 11 carers on their experience of supporting adults with intellectual disabilities through the process of bereavement. The transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). RESULTS: A total of five superordinate themes were identified: (i) Factors making the experience difficult for carers, (ii) Factors that helped carers, (iii) Carers' perspectives on the responses of people with intellectual disabilities, (iv) Approaches to supporting people with intellectual disabilities and (v) Carers' perspectives on support. CONCLUSIONS: Supporting people with intellectual disabilities through bereavement is an emotionally demanding task for carers. The support needs of carers need to be acknowledged and addressed in order to ensure that adequate support is available to people with intellectual disabilities following bereavement.