Intensive Interaction is an approach to supporting communication and connection, particularly with people at the early stages of communication development. It involves adjusting how we interact: observing, following the person’s lead and responding to their sounds, expressions and movements. This is vital learning for young children as well as people with learning difficulties like autism, who struggle to develop communication skills on their own.
The focus is on enjoyable, responsive exchanges that support the foundations of communication, including shared attention, turn-taking, body language and vocalisations.
This is a practical introduction for staff, equipping them with the skills needed to provide better care, or support education.
Over a one-day course, our trainer will introduce the principles of Intensive Interaction and explain how to use them in everyday support. Participants will consider how to recognise communication, respond sensitively and create opportunities for connection that reflect the individual’s preferences and needs.
The course is suitable for:
Our course is separated into the following segments:
By the end of the course, participants should be able to explain the core principles, identify opportunities for responsive interaction and describe how to adapt their communication to the individual.
All of our courses are delivered by practicing professionals, adding their expert insight to make this one of the most comprehensive educational courses we provide.
Our Intensive Interaction trainer course prepares trainers to deliver staff training and support the use of Intensive Interaction with children and adults, including autistic people and people with PMLD.
It combines subject knowledge, practical application, teaching skills and observed teaching practice. The small group size allows participants to receive individual feedback on their teaching and identify priorities for further development, while still receiving the benefits of team-based learning.
The programme is designed for:
This course covers the following topics, separated into modules:
As you can see, this is a more in-depth course. While the staff training course is comprehensive, and therefore excludes nothing, this goes into more teaching-focused modules, and covers everything from a training perspective, as you’d expect from an advanced course.
Participants will complete three 2-hour virtual study sessions, followed by one observed co-delivery teaching day.
The teaching day provides an opportunity to put session planning and delivery skills into practice, demonstrate teaching approaches and receive feedback. As with our other Train the Trainer courses, this can be done by one of our assessors if you’d prefer.
Choose the staff course if you want a practical introduction to using Intensive Interaction with the people you support. Choose the trainer course if your role includes delivering staff training, assessing learning and supporting colleagues to develop their practice.
Yes. Both courses include examples relevant to autistic people and people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Participants explore how to respond to the individual’s communication, preferences and support needs.
Yes. Both courses consider communication and connection across childhood and adulthood, with application to education, health, social care and home environments.
Yes. The programme includes assessed teaching practice during the observed co-delivery day. Participants plan and deliver a teaching session, receive feedback and identify priorities for further development.
Neither course certificate has an expiry date. Continuing practice, reflection and relevant professional development remain important as individual needs and workplace expectations change.
We pride ourselves on creating and running the best training possible. From the course content, which aligns with the latest guidelines from governing bodies, to how we deliver the courses, via professionals with in-depth knowledge of the topic being taught and access to the most relevant resources, you can be sure that delegates will leave with the confidence to perform or teach Intensive Interaction at a high level.
Contact Guardian Angels Training to discuss your team’s learning needs, the people you support, and which course would suit your setting.
Ask about course availability, costings and arrange Intensive Interaction training for your team.
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