Using Playful Practice to Communicate with Special Children

Margaret Corke

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN:
  9780415687669
• eBook ISBN:
  9781136577505
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Playfulness is important; it creates an alternative space where emotional, cognitive and social dimensions can be explored and tested. This highly practical book explores the endless possibilities of using playful, creative and interactive activities to meaningfully engage with children with multiple learning difficulties or autistic spectrum disorders.

The author presents playfulness as 'an experimental frame of mind', and encourages practitioners to play with roles, ideas, words, concepts and objects in order to enhance relationships and interventions. By providing accessible steps to playfulness, this text explores some of the contemporary issues surrounding the education of children with severe learning needs, in particular the use of 'intensive interaction'.

This text considers different areas of creative interactive work for practitioners to draw inspiration from, including:

• Music
• Interactive Musical Movement
• Finger Dance
• Story and Drama
• Artwork
• Reflective Circle.

The varied array of tried and tested original activities have been devised to encourage the development of social interaction, cognition, play, experimentation and creativity, in particular but not exclusively, for children whose learning needs are more complex. The author also invites teachers working in mainstream, particularly early years and primary education, to investigate the creative possibilities inherent in playfulness and to use the activities in this book to enhance the learning environment.

This text offers an abundance of advice, practical strategies and tips for teachers working in special and mainstream early years and primary education. Practitioners such as therapists, care workers, community musicians and creative arts specialists will also find this book useful.

Part I

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Playfulness: theory and practice

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© Getty Images

Chapter 1

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Introduction

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This book is essentially about playfulness and the importance of a practitioner's interactive style when communicating with people with profound and multiple or severe learning difficulties (PMLD/SLD) and those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is also a practical guide for creative interactive work in schools and beyond.

Building on existing work (Corke, 2002), this book adds another layer to an increasing body of literature associated with interactive approaches (Nind and Hewett, 2006). It also draws on research which sought to uncover aspects of practitioner style and competency, within the context of severe learning difficulty (Corke, 2007).

Playfulness is important; it creates an alternative space where emotional, cognitive and social dimensions can be explored and tested. An experimental frame of mind (playing with roles, ideas, words, concepts and objects) proves to be the core component of practitioner playfulness (ibid.). Considering playfulness as experimental, as opposed to amusement and entertainment, raises the possibilities for this forgotten phenomenon. Many practitioners know in their heart the value of playfulness but its value, in educational terms, appears nominal. This book aims to make playfulness widely acceptable, not only in the teaching and learning process in schools but also across a spectrum of adult services caring for people with SLD/PMLD and ASD.

Some readers will want to explore theories linked to practice; they will be interested in the research and how the deductive processes led to claims that playfulness is an ‘experimental frame of mind’ (ibid.). Most practitioners, however, in my experience, will simply want to buy into, explore, play and experiment with the practical side of this book. Practitioners will deduce whether or not a particular activity works by ‘having a go’; they will observe and record outcomes and in so doing draw their own conclusions. Young people who access activities will also be part of this deductive process because, quite simply, if an activity does not ‘press their buttons’ they will ignore it or signal discontent. If, however, they smile and jiggle, laugh even, and manage to slowly develop their interest and interaction then yes, you will know that in spite of all the research and practice-based theorising, you have found a way to reach, teach and develop the potential of the young people with whom you work and care. At a time when scientific evidence is highlighting the importance of early nurturing experiences (Gerdhardt, 2003) we cannot ignore the centrality and importance of strategies that help to bring pleasure, meaning and coherence to children's lives.

The first chapters of this book offer a blend of theory, philosophy and practical guidance to underpin playful practice. The latter part is dedicated to practical ideas concerned with creative interactions (combining the use of intensive interaction with the arts): interactive music, interactive musical movement, finger dance, story and drama, artwork and reflective circle. Songs, games and activities have been devised primarily for young people with significant intellectual impairment but I want to stress that the application of this developmentally driven work is also very relevant to children in early years education where play and playfulness are seen to be fundamental commitments within the Early Years Foundation Stage (DFE, 2009)

It is always difficult to find key words to represent people when trying to relay a message or storyline. For ease of reading I have used the term PMLD/SLD to refer to people with severe intellectual impairment. I am aware that autism is increasingly viewed as a condition rather than a disorder but I use the term ASD because it is most commonly used and understood at present. The term ‘practitioner’ is used widely in this book to encompass a wide range of professionals working in education, early years, therapy/clinical services and adult care services, but I also include parents and carers in my thoughts as I write because they are central to a child's well-being. The term ‘children’ is used widely, but again, as I write I am keeping in mind all those who would benefit from playfulness, and that's a lot of people.

Although this book is largely about practitioner playfulness, an essential thread running alongside this main theme concerns the education, nurture and development of children with PMLD/SLD. It is helpful to facilitate children's access to their innate playfulness because play is central to knowledge acquisition in the foundational stages of learning. As practitioners, it helps to be playful in order to make learning accessible: ‘laughter, fun and enjoyment, sometimes being whimsical and nonsensical, are the best contexts for learning’ (ibid.: 9).

Throughout the text, I have added speech bubbles containing relevant comments from practitioners. Some of the statements were taken directly from research data (Corke, 2007), some were made by colleagues working with children with PMLD/SLD on a day-to-day basis and other statements arose during in-depth conversations with specialists.

I hope this book encourages you to embrace and ‘practise’ playfulness in your work and that this helps to enrich the lives of others.

Chapter 2

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Context for learning

Knowing, acknowledging and delivering where the
child is

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Within the field of special needs there are huge variations in abilities and competencies due to each individual's medical or psychological profile. Disordered development, epilepsy, physical or sensory impairment and autism spectrum disorder are just some of the many factors affecting learning. The categorisation of people with cognitive impairment can be problematic and there can be confusion between developmental delay and developmental disorder.

A child who arrives at key developmental milestones in typical order but at a slower rate may be said to be developmentally delayed. Children, on the other hand, with a developmental disorder (atypical) tend to have specific gaps in their profile: some skills may appear appropriate but there will be significant delay in a number of areas. A third group involves children whose difficulties have been acquired after a period of normal development. Here a significant injury to the brain, for example, will impact on skills already developed but also on skill acquisition in the future. These children's profile presents as patchy and they may have to start the learning process again from the very beginning.

Thus, a child may be categorised as having PMLD/SLD but the nature of their impairment is likely to be significantly different from one person to another. Knowing a child's cognitive profile includes consideration of their strengths and difficulties and this is key when deciding on an appropriate style or method of intervention. It is evident that all these children have some measure of difficulty with the challenges involved in social interaction; they often have problems communicating and connecting meaningfully with people in their environment and this can lead to individuals becoming socially adrift and isolated. The pioneering work of Nind and Hewett (1994), based on the detailed and critical learning aspects occurring between infants and caregivers during the first 18 months of life (Kellet and Nind, 2003: 8), has provided a rich landscape of hope for people with PMLD/SLD. There is an ever-increasing body of work supporting the value of intensive interaction and I refer you to the intensive interaction website for more information. You will discover that intensive interaction is embedded in all the creative activities presented in the second half of this book.

Intensive interaction

‘Intensive interaction is an approach to teaching the pre-speech fundamentals of communication to children and adults who have severe learning difficulties and/or autism and who are still at an early stage of communication development’ (www.intensiveinteraction.co.uk).

In truth, we know that children with PMLD/SLD remain psychologically young throughout their lives. This inevitably has a major impact on their lives and learning ability. The challenge for practitioners to provide a rich and meaningful curriculum is often met with astonishing creativity and enthusiasm. Government demand, however, for goal setting and progression often thwarts practitioners’ best efforts because formulaic systems do not necessarily match the child's often uneven profile. The widely used P-level system, for example, contains some phrases and goal-directed sentences that bear little relation to what a child with PMLD/SLD can actually do. There is a sense, too, if I may be so bold as to suggest, that these assessment models are not actually about moving a child on but rather about a need to justify the teachers’ own work. I have issues, too, with moderation because practitioners, in my experience, have differing views around a child's level of attainment. Some teachers simply ‘mark up’ because a child has loosely met a certain criterion and this can leave subsequent teachers with limited room to manoeuvre in terms of quantifiable progression.

We all know that children with PMLD/SLD are likely to have uneven profiles; their learning and progress is less likely to be quantifiable in terms of a hierarchical or linear continuum. So why, I wonder, is this rarely taken into account in government literature? We need, I believe, to create a system that acknowledges children's conditions/disorders, individual medical issues, strengths and real-life possibilities. There are of course positive developments in the area of PMLD/SLD curriculum: ‘Routes for Learning’ (2006), for example, offers a helpful framework that many practitioners are now adopting but, for me, there is still some way to go in terms of curriculum formation to ensure breadth and depth of experience for our special learners. The National Strategies Early Years Foundation Stage (DFE, 2009) guidance documents present a useful benchmark that could help to steer thinking in the areas of pedagogy and fundamental learning in special schools.

The issue of curriculum formation cannot be fully explored within the remit of this book but I urge those working with government agencies, researchers, academics and, most importantly, practitioners to take up the challenge to change the system.

Practitioners might want to consider perusing developmental assessment tools such as the Hawaii Early Learning Profile (Parks, 1994) to inform their knowledge and understanding. Such profiles track development and offer helpful, finite detail of the complex early learning process in key developmental areas.

The study of infancy and how this relates to children with PMLD/SLD

It is relatively easy to draw parallels between developments in infancy and those with PMLD/SLD: the fundamental nature of pre-verbal experience, dependency on others, sense of vulnerability and fragile autonomy appears equitable. There are, however, many other factors that affect learning for people with PMLD/SLD that need to be taken into account. This said, comparing the levels of competence has, undoubtedly, been helpful because studies of infancy have provided practitioners with enormous insight into the puzzle of social, communication and cognitive development (Stern, 1977, 1985; Schaffer, 1998; Trevarthen, 2002, Reddy and Trevarthen, 2004).

Much of the infant's learning takes place within dynamic social interactions with more able partners. These one-to-one, face-to-face encounters, described by Parker-Rees (2004: 36) as ‘the full on, eye-to-eye, soul-to-soul engagement’ are often intimate and emotionally intense. The infant instinctively learns the fundamentals of communication within this emotionally charged environment and an air of playfulness and teasing seeps into the interactive process as the infant grows (Reddy and Trevarthen, 2004). This early intervention model, coupled with an adult's positive encouraging interactive style and active play behaviour, appears to be a major factor in developing and extending skills for people with PMLD/SLD (Corke, 2002; Nind and Hewett, 1994, 2005; Prevezer, 1991, 2000; Hewett, 2006; Sonders, 2003).

That playfulness seeps into the process of engagement is hardly surprising because ‘activities which are basically pleasurable are likely to generate feel-good chemicals’ (Gerdhart, 2010: 63). The quality of emotional experiences a child receives impacts greatly on how they make use of learning opportunities.

I like Smith's (1995: 19) vision of an interactive scene: he suggests that ‘early playfulness is like a symphony or ballet, a choreographed event’.

To illustrate:

Eric and Annie (9 months old) play in a lively way. Eric leads the interaction; he is down on his knees, adjusting his voice so that he sounds like a gentle monster. ‘Here I come, here I come’, he says as Annie scuttles off. Eric's moves are measured, not too quick, not too slow, and he registers her response all the time. Slowly and carefully he approaches, repeating the ‘here I come’ phrase. She knows he is coming, gets excited and makes panic-type vocalizations. ‘Argh’, goes Eric as he gently grabs and cuddles her; laughter bursts ensue and the ‘coming-toget-you’ game is repeated.

During this wonderful game I reflected on the process: Eric and Annie's moves were influenced and regulated by each other in amazingly intricate ways. They reinforced each other and both appeared happy and satisfied with the outcome. Fogel (1993) calls joint action relationship experience like this, where spontaneity and creativity blend together, ‘co-regulation’. Such interaction, he suggests, ‘allows the individual to participate in the discovery of the unknown and the invention of possibilities’ (p. 6). As I watched Eric play I deduced an experimental frame of mind in action. Following the playful event, Eric felt a sense of satisfaction; his ideas and playful experimentation were received eagerly and this helped to forge a positive relationship between grandfather and granddaughter. For Annie, too, there was satisfaction, but underlying her satisfaction was the real possibility for social and cognitive growth.

What was Annie learning?

• that playfulness and fun feel good;
• how to enjoy being with another person;
• to ‘tu...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Series page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Frontmatter
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Part I Playfulness: theory and practice
• Part II Creative interactive activities
• Guide to other resources
• Index