With the passage of Public Law 94-142, the W recent thrust for mainstreaming of all handicapped children has increased the search for alternate approaches to the traditional ones that had been used in trying to cope with their learning and/or behavior problems. The multiple deficits of many of these children present a communication challenge that has not been adequately met by the usual visual and' verbal methods. To cope with this problem, a project was developed at New York State Psychiatric Institute Children's Service. A multisensory approach known as paraverbal techniques evolved. Paraverbal means alongside of verbal. These techniques use the following channels for communication:( 1 ) Various aspects of body movements in new constellations, as well as the specialized unconventional use of various aspects of music, such as individual and/or combined components of rhythm, tempo, pitch pulse, accent, and dynamics. (2) Individual and/or combined rhythmic vocal, percussion, and string sonorities. (3) Speech cadences. (4) Statements in the form of nonverbal or verbal vocalizations. (5) Familiar and improvised melodies and lyrics. (6) Aspects of psychomotor maneuvers, such as dramatization, mime, and art. Essentially, the techniques presented in the following illustrative examples involve the flexible use of alternate, pleasurable channels for communication with a minimum of verbal communication.
Illustrative Paraverbal TechniquesThe goals are (1) to modify maladaptive behavior (especially as it relates to learning skills), for example, anxiety, poor attention span, hyperactivity, hypoactivity, and poor self-image, (2) to help the child achieve cognitive goals such as time concepts (e.g., slow and fast).In order to establish intimacy and to be able to control the children, the teacher-therapist should sit close to three selected children. A desirable choice of children, if feasible, is two withdrawn children and one aggressive.The aggressive child is placed between the two withdrawn children, and thus the withdrawn children are usually stimulated and encouraged to participate as they observe the pleasure of their active, aggressive neighbor. The teacher-therapist sits opposite the children and has at his side a variety of percussion and simple string instruments that attract and com-. mand the children's attention: bongos, tambourine, hand drum, floor drum, castanets, autoharp, and/or guitar. An enthusiastic and accepting manner of the therapist-teacher contributes to the children's willingness to learn.Illustrative Technique # 1: Teaching Word OppositesTo help decrease anxiety and to promote an atmosphere of acceptance, the children are given the privilege of choosing whichever instrument they would like to tap. The teacher-therapist then pleasurefully