Instruments of VIG

The subtheme ‘Instruments-of-VIG’ refers to the tools used for VIG and the effect they had. In the case of VIG, the main tool is video recording. Video recording is used to record an interaction between the Parent/TA and the child which is then clipped by the EP and viewed by the Parent/TA and the EP in the shared review. This subtheme emerged from the data as two EPs, two

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TAs, four Parents and three children spoke about the use of video within the VIG intervention.

The three children who spoke of the use of video were mostly indifferent to its use. Thereby they did not mind being filmed. Child 4 said that they had been filmed few times before and had filmed themselves before also. Child 4 stated; Child4: [In response to “Did you mind being filmed?”] “No, I’ve been filmed a few times before, I’ve filmed myself on my ipad before, I’ve done a big thing about filming before with these two people where they film me for this video about Autism from the Guardian and I went on the radio once.”

This quote showed that Child 4 is very used to being filmed and had even taken part in professional filming before. Therefore, it may be the case that children growing up in the current time are more accustomed to this type of technology and thus unfazed by it. Child 4 said, “I’ve filmed myself on my ipad before” which suggested that video technology was embedded within the

household and freely used by the child.

Commonly featured in the data was that the video enabled people to see for themselves things that they had never known before. TA4 stated;

“I didn’t realise until I saw the video, its almost like you know if you have a calling to do a particular thing because you are naturally good or you can naturally do something without even thinking about it, I think that’s how it came across to me anyway.”

This quote from TA4 suggested that there is something more powerful about seeing it for yourself with your own eyes that makes the feeling you have about it stronger. TA4’s takeaway feeling from VIG was that they are naturally good at their job, which they didn’t realise before, and that is a significant feeling to

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have. Therefore, there appeared to be a connection between seeing it on video and the depth of feeling it created. Likewise, Parent 6 stated that they remembered the realisation of the effect they had on their child the most from the videos;

“I didn’t realise that had such an effect on him. I think it was more things of him testing me, like ‘oh look dad’ that I remember from the videos most.”

This quote from Parent 6 showed that they remembered not only the realisation they had, but also the moment they had it from the film – “oh look dad” – which is most likely bringing an image from the video to their mind.

Therefore, it is perhaps the picture of it, the visual image on the screen that causes people to remember it in much more detail than if they were just told. The connection between visual imagery and memory is present here.

Furthermore, EPs, Parent and TAs noted that the video allowed them to see the tiny details in interactions that they would not otherwise have been able to see. The video allows you to pause, slow down and rewind interactions in order to analyse them in micro detail. Parent 2 stated that the video helped them to see the details but also to see the interactions from child’s perspective;

“The video itself was more, I feel, for the parent to understand how, it was so small, the details were so small, the interaction, how he looks and where he is and what he notices.”

Seeing the interactions from the child’s perspective offers a different insight which might not have been possible without the use of video.

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In addition, the use of video allowed EPs to later view the sessions again if they needed more thinking time about the case. EP5 discussed video recording their shared review sessions and later reflecting on them;

“the teaching assistant was being slightly defensive initially…and it wasn’t until I had kind of looked back at the video… I had a sense that there was something in our interaction that felt a little bit uncomfortable, but it took me going back to the video of the shared review, of her and I, to have a look and think okay, I think that’s where it is, that although she’s giving me lots of answers, it’s quite defensive the language that she’s using. And that was really helpful because then the next time I went back I was able to do something slightly differently with her and really encourage her to identify things rather than in hindsight maybe I’d led it a bit too much in shared review one. Which can be hard to do because it’s the first one, but I think actually she needed the opportunity to lead a bit more and when she did that, she definitely was a lot more engaged.”

This quote showed the process of reflection that EP5 went through using the video to analyse their own interactions with the TA. Following reflection, they were able to learn from and resolve some of the tensions in the relationship. This extended reflection was only possible using the video.

Video is a powerful medium for family interventions that has been previously recognised in the literature. The findings are supported by neurological research into the brain processes that occur when we watch ourselves performing on video (as previously discussed in Chapter 2). Gallese et al’s (1996) discovery of mirror neurons in the brain suggests that we learn by observing others and this triggers brain activity. Furthermore, we learn more powerfully (with greater feeling) by observing ourselves on video. We process images through feelings before we engage in thinking (Kennedy, Landor &

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Todd, 2011). Therefore, seeing and learning from ourselves on video sparks much greater emotional connectedness and significance than by watching and learning from someone else.