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Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ's)
(Educational Settings)
If you cannot find the answer you are looking for below, please contact us direct here
Q) What if our Educational Setting doesn’t have an SLT?
A) We understand that the SLT(s) supporting your educational setting might be employed by either your setting, the NHS, the local authority or privately. For settings who do not have a SLT with capacity to train and support interventionists (e.g teachers, TAs, or SENCOs), as well as parents/carers (who will receive the Intensive Interaction training and implement the intervention at home if they choose to do this), where possible the research team will recruit an external SLT to support your setting. It would be really useful if the study team is aware as early as possible if your setting will require SLT support, this can be specified when completing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Q) What is the maximum number of children who can take part per setting?
A) We would suggest that you approach all the parents of eligible children at your setting initially. We would like to recruit an average of 5 children/young people per setting.
Some settings have recruited higher than 5 children previously, however, it is important for each educational setting to be mindful of the capacity of both teachers and interventionists, as the more children/young people you recruit into the study means a larger amount of Intensive Interaction sessions to be delivered and data collection to complete (questionnaires for teachers and a 10 minute video recording of each child/young person across 3 time points.) Where settings recruit more families than they are able to support, York Trials Unit will randomly select 5 children/young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) to participate.
Q) What should we do if we think some parents might not want to take part in the study?
A) We would suggest approaching all parents of eligible children/young people at your educational setting. The information sheet parents/carers receive will clearly outline what participation in the study involves, allowing them to decide whether or not they wish to take part. We would like to highlight that the study has been carefully designed to reduce the burden on parents and carers as much as possible. For those whose children/young people are in settings allocated to the intervention group, participation in the home-based Intensive Interaction training and delivery is entirely optional. If they do not have the capacity to take part in this aspect, they can still contribute by completing three short questionnaires over the course of the study (during September/October, June/July, and November/December). It would be greatly appreciated if settings could support and encourage parents and carers to read the study information so they can make an informed choice.
Q) Do all staff at our setting need to have capacity to take part as interventionists?
A) No. Each participating child/young person only requires a member of staff to be trained as the interventionist and a class teacher to complete questionnaires at three time points during the study. Previously, other educational settings have trained a variety of roles and quantity of staff members to take on the role as interventionist. Having more staff members trained allows for multiple people to deliver Intensive Interaction sessions to the children/young person. We understand that the capacity of some staff members taking on the role of interventionists may vary, and the capacity of potential staff taking part should be reviewed before signing up to take part in the study.
Q) Can the SLT complete the ‘teacher’ questionnaires?
A) We ask that the person at your educational setting completing the ‘teacher’ questionnaires is the child's main teacher or the teacher that knows them the best.
Q) Does it have to be the same teacher that completes the follow-ups for the child?
A) Ideally, we would like the same nominated teacher to complete questionnaires for the same child/young person across all three follow-up time points. We do understand, however, that this may not be possible in some cases.
Q) We use Intensive Interaction frequently with our pupils, but have not been formally trained, can we still take part?
A) We understand that some educational settings may already use aspects of Intensive Interaction regularly with their pupils. As long as no staff at the educational setting have completed formal Intensive Interaction training in the past 12 months, the setting is eligible to apply for the study. If you're unsure what qualifies as formal training, you're welcome to get in touch with the study team for clarification.
Q) Is there translation assistance that the study can provide to parents/carers whose first language is not English?
A) As part of the study, we ask parents/carers to complete three questionnaires during their time in the study. We can offer a translation service for parents/carers who prefer to complete these questionnaires over the phone. However, the online method of completing the questionnaires, as well as the online training (which is available for parents/carers whose child's educational setting is randomised to the Intervention Group, and also for the control group after the study period ends) is only available in English and can’t be translated.
Q) What do you mean by PMLD?
A) PMLD refers to Profound and Multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). Please visit our webpage (www.interacttrial.com/definingpmld) to learn more about how PMLD is defined in the INTERACT study. You can also view a list of excluded degenerative conditions on our eligibility criteria page (www.interacttrial.com/eligibility-criteria).
Q) Do staff have to stop other forms of communication interventions/activities during the research period?
A) No, settings taking part in the INTERACT study are able to continue care as usual during the research period. Children/young people should continue to receive all other treatment or support as usual regardless of the group their educational setting is allocated to (either intervention or control). If your educational setting is randomly allocated to the control group, we will ask that you do not complete any formal training in Intensive Interaction until the end of your involvement in the study.
Q) How long is the study period?
A) Settings will be recruited in June/July 2025, and the follow-up period will end in November/December 2026. Settings who are allocated to receive the Intensive Interaction training and to deliver the intervention with the participating children/young people in their setting will be asked to do this between January and May 2026. Settings randomised to the control group will be invited to receive online training at the end of the follow-up period.
Q) Do external assessors come in pre/during /post interventions to evaluate the Intensive Interaction sessions we deliver?
A) No. External assessors do not visit settings as part of this trial. If your setting is allocated to the intervention group, the school staff who complete the online Intensive Interaction training and deliver the intervention (known as 'interventionists') within your setting will be supported by a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT). If your setting does not have a SLT who is able to fulfil this role, the research team will recruit an external SLT to support your setting, where possible. The support will be offered via online meetings and email.
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