Using the first-person narrative in its written form, how it was originally given to us to do, there were challenges in the fact that I personally found it difficult to write everything down and watching the child. Some of the children that I’d used that with were very flitty. So just writing down what they’re doing and they’ve moved off and they’ve done something else so that in itself was quite a challenge. Other children, I’ve written a first-person narrative, it was actually quite successful. I’d shared it back with parents. One parent almost cried and said oh it’s like you’re telling me what my daughter’s enjoying.  

So in that respect it was quite positive. As for now, my first-person narrative tends to be me talking. So as the child is doing something I’m using that first-person narrative in talking. So I’m talking through to the parent exactly how I’d write it down, but I’m actually saying oh, you know, I’ve picked up the silver tinsel, I hold it up to the light, when I drop it it doesn’t make a noise. You know, whatever the child’s doing I’m using that first-person narrative but talking rather than actually writing it down.  

I think the reason why I chose the approach of actually talking in the first narrative rather than writing was because, with one particular child, I’d said to mum, I think, you know, we’d done the activities I’d taken and I said to mum right we’ll just take a step back and we’ll just observe. And I said, you know, we’ll have a look and see what he’s doing. And of course as this child started doing I then started talking, because I didn’t actually have a pen or paper to hand, so if I’m honest that’s probably the reason why. But I actually find it easier. But then it’s there, it’s in the moment and I’ve got no record of it afterwards. 

That’s the only downside. Unless I was obviously recording my voice, then I could write it up at a later date for parents. But I have found even talking in the first-person narrative parents are still thinking oh I hadn’t really noticed that before. I think as a practitioner it’s made me more aware of what a child is doing, or perhaps what they’re gaining from whatever the experience is or whatever the activity is; whereas I think sometimes we’re so, what’s the word I’m looking for, everything’s a tick list: can they do this, can they do that? And I think sometimes we get so bogged down, it’s nice to take that step back and actually observe.  

So I do find the way that I’ve changed my practice is that, maybe not every week, but perhaps two or three times a month, I take that step back just for five minutes, just to observe what the child’s doing. And then I’m talking to the parent in the first-person narrative. So I think for me it’s made me take that step back. , And I think because I’ve allowed myself to take that step back and to observe and not just assume I can then reinforce that to parents. So, you know, and it’s helping, it helps me to help the parent know that their child isn’t being naughty, you know, they’re exploring the world in which they live. Some children explore it in different ways than others, but it’s all exploration. So I think for me it’s definitely made me take that step back.  

I haven’t printed the pictures off, well, I printed pictures off to give a copy to parents, and the objects that the child has shown an interest in we’ve used them again several weeks later, just to see if the reaction was the same. I’m working with one parent at the moment who doesn’t read or write, so, for her, she’s quite enjoyed the first-person narrative being spoken, and she has definitely noticed different things that her son’s doing and that’s led on to a discussion about, you know, oh he’s shown an interest in a particular thing, next week let’s try doing it this way or let’s try adding in something else.  

In my daily work I run, well, not run, I help run, it’s now called a pre-school portage group on a Friday morning, and it’s always been one of us doing it. We’re now going up to two colleagues, so me and one of my other colleagues are doing it together. And I’ve just started talking to parents in these groups about what their children are doing. Because the whole, our groups used to be parents would drop in. It was somewhere where they were with children with similar needs. They’d pop in for a cup of tea and a chat. Whereas now our groups are more focused, so each week we have a theme, the last two terms we’ve done lots of sensory play. And as I say just beginning to, because we’ve never had regular attendance, but we’re now getting a regular group of children coming in every week.  

So as I say I’m just beginning to, and I think after Christmas we’re going to be doing more observations and then from that going on to discuss with parents. So I actually think that using In-the-Picture within that group situation is going to be beneficial. Because these are often parents that have just been referred to portage, you know, perhaps they’ve had no experience of children with additional needs, the children are quite young, and they come in and they’ll ask questions. And I do say, you know, let’s take a step back, let’s just observe, see what they’re interests are, see what they’re playing with. So I haven’t done it as such as yet, but definitely going to after Christmas from January, because I think it will be beneficial from my point of view in advising someone I’ve never met before on how they can interact with their child. And also it gives the parents something to think about and for them to go away and then come back next week and let us know how they’ve got on. So yes definitely something in the New Year.  

I think it allows parents to be more observant using the In-the-Picture approach, because it’s not an onerous task. You know, I’m not asking them to write a chapter of War and Peace, they’re just observing their child at an activity for a couple of minutes. I’m not asking them to write reams; I think it’s just helping them to understand their child and their interests. And by using In-the-Picture, that short observation for two or three minutes, you can actually gain quite an insight into a child, and what their interests are and what they’re doing and perhaps why they’re doing it.  

I think using In-the-Picture over time in my daily visits, it’s just become something that I do automatically; it’s not something that I think oh I’ve got to do this now. So I don’t, I might not use it on every visit with a child, but to me I’ve got so used to doing it, it just becomes part of my visit and who I am and how I am with the children and the family. I don’t find it an onerous task. It helps me to take that step back and observe the child. So it’s just an automatic, you know, it’s the same as going in and singing the hello song, it’s just something that I do.  

I think using In-the-Picture has probably just confirmed my beliefs in working with families and young children, and a lot of the children that I’ve used In-the-Picture with are predominantly non-verbal children. Some are not even using any form of communication. So I think it’s actually allowing them to have a voice. It’s allowing that child to say I’m really enjoying doing this, or I like the way that this spins around or I like the way this makes a noise.

 

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