The use of intensive interaction with people with severe-profound intellectual disability
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence & Practice    

The use of intensive interaction with people with severe-profound intellectual disability

Suzanna Weedle Student, RNID, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin

Intensive interaction is a communication technique used with people with autism and/or severe-profound intellectual disability. Practitioners should ensure that the complex health needs of people with severe-profound intellectual disability are met, and that their rights are upheld, by actively listening and responding to unconventional communication. This article reports a review of the literature on using intensive interaction with people with severe-profound intellectual disability. Results show that the technique can help increase people’s levels of social engagement and sociability, enhance their sense of well-being, and reduce distress. Although some practitioners can find the technique rewarding, for others it can stimulate feelings of discomfort, therefore the article also considers some barriers to implementation.

Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2016.e1780

Correspondence

weedles@tcd.ie

Peer review

This article has been subject to double-blind review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Received: 11 July 2016

Accepted: 19 September 2016

Published online: 20 October 2016

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