Using intensive interaction to work with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities: Care staff perceptions

Intensive interaction (II) is an approach to teaching the pre-speech fundamentals of communication to children and adults who have severe to profound learning difficulties and/or autism and who are still at an early stage of communication development. This review of the current literature includes an examination of changes in legislation and therapeutic work for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), it explores emotional literacy and the development of mother-infant interaction as a basis for the use of II with people with PMLD, and it critics the current evidence base for the use of II. Emphasis is placed on staff factors in working with people with PMLD and especially the elements of staff dynamics which occur during the implementation of II. Finally, this review suggests further research which may help to widen the knowledge base about II