Rambo Amadeus promotes alternatives to physical punishment

Rambo Amadeus promotes alternatives to physical punishment

Pljeavljski tamburasi promote active fathers

Pljeavljski tamburasi promote active fathers

Ulcinj basketball team promotes active fathers

Ulcinj basketball team promotes active fathers

Vukasin Poleksic, famous Montenegrin goal keeper, promotes active fathers

Vukasin Poleksic, famous Montenegrin goal keeper, promotes active fathers

Andrijana Bozovic, famous Montenegrin singer, promotes exclusive breastfeeding in baby friendly maternity ward in Bar

Andrijana Bozovic, famous Montenegrin singer, promotes exclusive breastfeeding in baby friendly maternity ward in Bar

Milos Scepanovic, famous waterpolo player and a spokesperson for the campaign "The Early Years-An Opportunity of a Lifetime" plays waterpolo with children

Milos Scepanovic, famous waterpolo player and a spokesperson for the campaign "The Early Years-An Opportunity of a Lifetime" plays waterpolo with children

Being a father is an opportunity of a lifetime - Member of national basketball team, Djuro Ostojic, reads a story to preschool children in the capital

Being a father is an opportunity of a lifetime - Member of national basketball team, Djuro Ostojic, reads a story to preschool children in the capital

UNICEF and the Ministry of Health start an awareness raising campaign "The Early Years - An Opportunity of a Lifetime"

UNICEF and the Ministry of Health start an awareness raising campaign "The Early Years - An Opportunity of a Lifetime"

Ministry Of Justice, Unicef And Ec Support Discussions On The First Draft Of Montenegro’s Juvenile Justice Law

Ministry Of Justice, Unicef And Ec Support Discussions On The First Draft Of Montenegro’s Juvenile Justice Law

School without violence- creating a safe and protective environment in schools

School without violence- creating a safe and protective environment in schools

Using a Child Centred Approach to Working with Children Preparing to Leave Institutional Care

Using a Child Centred Approach to Working with Children Preparing to Leave Institutional Care

 

Using a Child Centred Approach to Working with Children Preparing to Leave Institutional Care

Intensive Interaction is a practical approach to interacting with people with learning disabilities who do not find it easy communicating. Intensive Interaction ‘borrows’ the style of the caregiver of an infant in the first 6 months of life and uses this style to open up a communication channel that helps children to feel listened to and valued. It is an approach used by a wide range of professionals, care staff, and also families and friends. In particular, intensive interaction works well with people who are functioning at an age equivalent of under a year.

With UNICEF’s support, intensive interaction has been introduced in Montenegro in 2009. Cath Irvine, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist (SLT), visited Montenegro and worked with children with disabilities and staff in one of the institutions in order to teach them intensive interaction.

“The style is basic common sense: - being in a physical position for the child to see you, having an ‘I like being with you’ look on your face, scanning the child carefully for their signals, responding to everything the child does, maintaining good eye contact, using exaggerated facial expressions.” says Cath Irvine.

Children, even those with a disability or health problems are born expecting to be held, have people look at them and talk to them. Research into the early days of a child’s life shows us that children flourish and develop if they have this positive human interaction.Children with disabilities like others need access to the most flexible, interesting and educational piece of equipment possible – another human being who could be responsive. They need focused time to learn that other people can be good to be with.

 “Improving the children’s living accommodation and providing toys - this approach has been used all over the world with many charities focusing on providing small houses, individual clothes and daily activities for the children. There are children, including in some EU countries, who have drastically improved living circumstances but still sit in corners rocking, self-stimulating and often displaying self-injurious behaviours and it is this quality of life that needs to be addressed.” explains Cath Irivine (SLT).

Cath introduced intensive interaction in one residential institution in Montenegro with excellent initial results that can be well illustrated through a story on her work with one boy with disabilities. This child had lung problems from birth and he arrived at the institute at the age of 7, weighing only 7 kilos and having the size of an eight month old baby.

“When I first met him – he looked around 2 years of age, spent most of his time gazing at his fingers. He spent most of his day in a cot and was immobile despite having no physical disability. His attitude to people was wary. He tolerated being lifted but looked at people from the sides of his eyes. He was a very silent child.” says Cath Irvine and continues: “We began by just sitting on the floor with him – looking at him kindly with an expectant look on our faces. We mirrored what he was doing with his fingers. We also mirrored looking at him from the sides of our eyes – with a playful look on our faces. He became fascinated with our hands and would look from his hands to our hands. Once he realized that we were doing the same as him, he started to do more intricate movements and carefully checked to make sure we were doing the same. He showed his pleasure by making increased and direct eye contact and making little sounds. When we mirrored his sounds too he began to experiment with new sounds as well. In a few short sessions he began to enjoy human company, he made good eye contact and was making 7 different sounds, he was attending well to the person with him and beginning to show an interest in the objects around him.”

Cath Irvine will return to Montenegro in May 2009 and in the meantime, the sessions with children will be continued by the staff Cath trained earlier in the year. Her first visit to Montenegro was part of the overall UNICEF’s project to support alternatives to placing children in institutions and helping children to develop to their full potential.

50 years of research indicate that children in institutions do not have the same chances to develop as children in a family environment. Child placement, in any kind of institution, should therefore be a last resort and should also be for the shortest time possible.

UNICEF’s approach is twofold: on the one hand to assist the Government with the ongoing child care reform process, by transforming the institutions which are in the most critical state. On the other hand, UNICEF focuses at the development of alternatives to institutional care, including the small family like homes for these children, where they can live and develop to their full potential.