Magical stories help bridge gap

Sensory stories for intellectually disabled get a wider audience, Helen O’Callaghan reports.

A NEW project developed by teachers at St Michael’s House, Dublin-based provider of services for people with intellectual disabilities, aims to make the magic of stories available to all children, even those with the most complex medical needs.

Maria Nolan and Mairéad Naughton, home teachers in Early Services at St Michael’s, work with children aged one to five and a half years who have significant intellectual disability.

“They can be very medically vulnerable. They may have spent much of their early years in hospital and will possibly have additional physical difficulties — inability to talk or walk. They may have difficulty using their hands, so it’s challenging for them to reach, grab and explore toys,” says Nolan.

Searching for a fun activity in which the child could participate, along with his/her family, the teachers came up with the idea of a multi-sensory story pack. An imaginative sensory development aid, each pack contains specially written stories and a range of props that bring the story to life by touch, smell, sight and sound.

Because these children are sick quite a lot, they don’t get to experience ordinary fun childhood activities, such as going to the zoo or the beach. For children with severe intellectual disability, the challenge is to bring meaning to a story.

“A lot of our stories are based on everyday experience — going to the park, around pets, helping children re-live those experiences,” says Nolan.

The stories are short, six to eight lines and each line has a sensory experience to encourage the child to participate. The story of Betsy the Bird includes props such as feathers, twigs, a fan, small shiny objects and a sound button with a bird noise.

“Sensory stories build listening and anticipation skills – children begin to anticipate each line of the story, what’s going to happen next. They may also get some understanding of language,” says Nolan.

“The stories provide a structure for siblings to get involved – helping with props, participating in the story.”

The sensory stories were developed along with St Michael’s House corporate partner KPMG and launched by author Cecelia Ahern.

For more info, contact the home-teaching department at St Michael’s House, www.stmichaelshouse.ie.