Profound Learning Disabilities Research Articles

Exploring the value of family shared reading with young people who have Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD)

Shared reading with young children is promoted as good practice in national and international policy. Existing literature explores cognitive and developmental benefits of family shared reading for young, typically developing children, but much less is known about benefits for young people with learning disabilities. Additionally, the analysis of ‘benefit’ is often cast in economic terms to society rather than through the sociological lens of everyday ‘family practice’. This paper explores the significance of shared reading for two young people with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD), a group traditionally characterised as having a developmental age of 24 months or less and who may therefore continue to enjoy shared reading far beyond early childhood. Drawing on iterative qualitative data analysis of semi-structured interviews with two mothers, findings suggest that shared reading is a valued everyday practice fulfilling a range of functions such as emotional regulation, marking time and routine, and inclusion with siblings. The paper considers ways to support shared reading within PMLD families in research, policy and practice.

Health and healthcare of people with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom through the COVID‐19 pandemic

AbstractBackgroundDuring the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, many health services were withdrawn from people with learning disabilities, with negative impacts on people's health. What has happened to people's health and healthcare as we move beyond the pandemic?MethodsAccess to health services and health status were tracked for 550 UK adults with learning disabilities, using structured online interviews with people with learning disabilities and online surveys with family members or paid carers. Information was provided four times, from Wave 1 (in the winter 2020/2021 ‘lockdown’) to Wave 4 (autumn 2022, over a year after public health protections stopped).FindingsBy Wave 4, most people with learning disabilities had had COVID‐19, although high vaccination rates limited the number of people hospitalised. There was little evidence that use of GP services, community nurses, other therapists or annual health checks had increased over time, and at Wave 4 more people were having difficulty getting their medicines. People's health did not substantially improve over time. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities had poorer health and were less likely to be accessing health services.ConclusionsImprovements in access to health services for people with learning disabilities after the pandemic have not yet happened.

Children and young adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities: Evidence of intelligible subvocal language

IntroductionLiterature to date describes people with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) as pre-linguistic. In contrast, this study explores the existence and use of meaningful sub vocal (SV) language by twenty PMLD participants. MethodThe SV utterances of 20 PMLD participants were recorded and amplified. Recordings were investigated for evidence of language content and structure, listener intelligibility, and acoustic and phonetic features relative to normal speech and whisper. ResultsLanguage content and structure was identified. Listener intelligibility was demonstrated. Acoustic and phonetic features relative to normal speech and whisper were evident. ConclusionTwenty PMLD participants produced meaningful SV language intelligible to listeners. This study requires further robust research to fully confirm its findings but highlights implications for clinical practice and for understanding of PMLD communication competencies.This paper is accompanied by audio samples and transcriptions of recorded utterances to demonstrate the SV language produced by the participants. The quality of the samples varies due to the difficulties in recording SV utterances and the difficulties for participants in articulating clearly. This is not normal speech, but it is normal language. The listener may need to replay samples where the quality of the recording is poor.

Proposing an Academic Space of “Autism and Profound Learning Disability”

This article makes a practical suggestion to addressing the acute marginalisation of people with complex needs within academia. To do this, it first explores how the academic use of the terms “autism” and “severe/profound learning disabilities” leads to exclusionary practices where people with complex needs cannot represent themselves in research about their lives. These practices, this article contends, are epistemically and ethically unjustified. It demonstrates the former by exploring the shared ways in which people with complex needs are known in academic and social contexts. Regarding the latter, it argues that the research fields of autism and learning disabilities have favoured practices that exclude people with complex needs. To improve their academic representation, an academic space of “autism and profound learning disability” is proposed by drawing from Kraus’s (2015) theory of lifeworlds and life-conditions. The aim of the space is to be open and inclusive to any person with complex needs related to the terms “autism” and “severe/profound learning disabilities”, and to develop ethical research and practices that include their perspectives, views, and values. The paper concludes by presenting a preliminary agenda for the space.

Persons with profound and multiple learning disabilities as subjects of knowledge: Exploring the possibilities of empathy

AbstractBackgroundPersons with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) risk exclusion, both in research and as members of society. Because of their embodied communication, they face the challenges in being understood. Oftentimes, others speak on their behalf making inferences on what their perspective might be.MethodsEmpathy is suggested as an approach to grasp the perspective of a person with profound and multiple learning disabilities through engaging with embodied communication. The account of empathy suggested by Stein will be unfolded through an ethnographic study including persons with profound and multiple learning disabilities and their professional supporters. Given this background, the intent is to discuss the potential empathy can have in recognising persons with these disabilities as subjects of knowledge.Findings and ConclusionsThe characteristics of persons with profound and multiple learning disabilities provide energy to empathic situations in ways that advocate for the possibility of being recognised as subjects of knowledge. This is related to the competencies of the individual, ambiguous communication and the dependency relations in which they are involved. It is of utmost importance to respect the alterity of the other.

Collaborative music-making: special educational needs school assistants as facilitators in performances with accessible digital musical instruments

The field of research dedicated to Accessible Digital Musical Instruments (ADMIs) is growing and there is an increased interest in promoting diversity and inclusion in music-making. We have designed a novel system built into previously tested ADMIs that aims at involving assistants, students with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD), and a professional musician in playing music together. In this study the system is evaluated in a workshop setting using quantitative as well as qualitative methods. One of the main findings was that the sounds from the ADMIs added to the musical context without making errors that impacted the music negatively even when the assistants mentioned experiencing a split between attending to different tasks, and a feeling of insecurity toward their musical contribution. We discuss the results in terms of how we perceive them as drivers or barriers toward reaching our overarching goal of organizing a joint concert that brings together students from the SEN school with students from a music school with a specific focus on traditional orchestral instruments. Our study highlights how a system of networked and synchronized ADMIs could be conceptualized to include assistants more actively in collaborative music-making, as well as design considerations that support them as facilitators.

Day service cultures from the perspectives of autistic people with profound learning disabilities

AbstractBackgroundService culture refers to the practices, views and values within service organisations. Developing positive cultures has been thought imperative to improving social care, though day services and their cultures remain an under‐researched area. For many autistic people with profound learning disabilities, day services are the sites at which they orientate their Monday–Friday adult lives and so service cultures are fundamental to the way they experience adulthood. It was thus the purpose of this study to explore day service culture through the perspectives and experiences of this group.MethodsThis study took a phenomenological approach involving extended participatory observations with an autistic person with profound learning disabilities at their day service, as well as broader ethnographic work within this context. Data was analysed through theory‐led thematic analysis.FindingsThe study found that autistic people with profound learning disabilities contribute their customs and values to service culture in everyday life and that space, time and place were important in this endeavour. It highlighted how these customs and values could be adopted or challenged by the service, its staff and their established culture.ConclusionIt is argued that positive service cultures are ones in which day services acknowledge and respond to the views and values of autistic people with profound learning disabilities. A potential framework is discussed to support services with this aim.

GIRDLESTONE RESECTION ARTHROPLASTY OF THE HIP (GRA): OUTDATED PROCEDURE OR ACCEPTABLE OUTCOME?

Despite considerable legacy issues, Girdlestone's Resection Arthroplasty (GRA) remains a valuable tool in the armoury of the arthroplasty surgeon. When reserved for massive lysis in the context of extensive medical comorbidities which preclude staged or significant surgical interventions, and / or the presence of pelvic discontinuity, GRA as a salvage procedure can have satisfactory outcomes. These outcomes include infection control, pain control and post-op function. We describe a case series of 13 cases of GRA and comment of the indications, peri, and post-operative outcomes.We reviewed all cases of GRA performed in our unit during an 8 year period, reviewing the demographics, indications, and information pertaining to previous surgeries, and post op outcome for each. Satisfaction was based on a binary summation (happy/unhappy) of the patients’ sentiments at the post-operative outpatient consultations.13 cases were reviewed. They had a mean age of 75. The most common indication was PJI, with 10 cases having this indication. The other three cases were performed for avascular necrosis, pelvic osteonecrosis secondary to radiation therapy and end stage arthritis on a background of profound learning disability in a non-ambulatory patient. The average number of previous operations was 5 (1-10). All 13 patients were still alive post girdlestone. 7 (54%) were satisfied, 6 were not. 3 patients were diabetic. 5 patients developed a sinus tract following surgery.With sufficient pre-op patient education, early intensive physiotherapy, and timely orthotic input, we feel this procedure remains an important and underrated and even compassionate option in the context of massive lysis and / or the presence of pelvic discontinuity / refractory PJI. GRA should be considered not a marker of failure but as a definitive procedure that gives predictability to patients and surgeon in challenging situations.

Role of gender and age in the cooperation between parents of people with intellectual disabilities and professional staff in care centres

Introduction: understanding factors that influence the cooperative relationship between parents of people with intellectual disabilities and professional staff comes from understanding how parents and staff function and, on this basis, from understanding their abilities and skills reflected in their interactions and cooperation. This paper presents some results of a broader study which examined: The aim or research question is how the level of the cooperative relationship between the parents of persons with moderate, severe and profound learning disabilities and the professional staff of Training, Occupation and Care Centres in Slovenia is correlated to the age and gender of parents, and the age and gender of staff. In addition, the study focused on investigating how the gender and age of parents and staff correlates with their inclusion in support groups. Methods: the sample comprised 296 randomly selected parents and 298 randomly selected professional staff. The statistical method of two-way analysis of variance was applied to establish the differences in the level of the cooperative relationship given the gender and the age of the parents and staff. Results: the results confirmed differences relative to the age of the male staff, namely, that with their age the degree of co-operation relationship with parents increases and that fathers are statistically significantly less involved in support groups than mothers. Conclusions: we draw attention to certain concepts associated with a successful cooperative relationship, helping to better understand this relationship and seek new possibilities for more effective cooperation between the parents of PID placed in centres and the staff employed at these centres in Slovenia.

Reflections on Veronica Sherborne and the practical application of the Sherborne Developmental Movement

This personal reflection explores the life and work of Veronica Sherborne. It follows her journey from a student of physical education and dance at Bedford College in the 1940s to senior lecturer in special education at Bristol Polytechnic, where she taught student teachers about pair work with children with special educational needs and disabilities. It depicts how she met her mentor, Rudolf Laban, and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and their influences on the development of Sherborne Developmental Movement. Throughout the reflection, there are details about the teaching and impact of her pioneering movement work. It highlights the importance of her relational shared movement experiences in nurturing social engagement, bonding, emotional regulation, and focus in vulnerable children. There is reference to Sherborne’s intuition about movement, play, and touch as embodied languages. The author posits why neuroscience might recognise Sherborne Developmental Movement as a body-based bottom-up approach.

Digital participation of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities during the Covid‐19 pandemic in the UK

AbstractBackgroundDuring the Covid‐19 pandemic, there has been a worldwide increase in the use of digital technology. Many people with learning disabilities have learned new digital skills, taken part in online activities, and kept in touch with family and friends using video calls. However, the experiences of digital participation or nonparticipation for the people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) is less understood.MethodBetween December 2020 and August 2021, family carers or paid support workers of adults with PMLD completed an online survey around the experiences of the person they care for during the Covid‐19 pandemic, including questions on Internet use. We draw on the findings of this UK‐wide study to explore the digital participation of the people with PMLD during the pandemic.FindingsAround half of the people with PMLD had Internet access at home. Around half of the participants interacted with others on video calls like Facetime or Zoom and most commonly used the Internet for being with family and friends online and streaming TV and films. In the event of another lockdown, 27.5% of the people supporting someone with PMLD said they would like support with technology to make seeing friends and family easier. For some the people, digital participation during the pandemic was not beneficial enough to want to continue when restrictions eased. For others, the new online experiences had the potential to be developed in their postpandemic lives.ConclusionAround half of the people surveyed participated in digital activities during Covid‐19. Future attention is needed to afford more people opportunities, and respond to access barriers experienced for the people with PMLD and those that support them.

Understanding and managing trauma in people with severe and profound learning disabilities

Trauma has been described as an experience that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has produced traumatic effects in many people, particularly on those with severe and profound learning disabilities, who are generally at higher risk of trauma than others. Understanding the neurobiological responses to trauma may elucidate which experiential strategies could be used to support people with severe and profound learning disabilities who may have experienced trauma. In particular, trauma can lead to the loss of one’s sense of safety, so restoring this sense of safety can be crucial in supporting recovery.This article details some of the potential signs and symptoms of trauma and describes some of its effects on the mind, brain and body. It also explores strategies that learning disability nurses can use to assist people with severe and profound learning disabilities to recover from trauma.

Advancing inclusive research with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities through a sensory-dialogical approach.

People with profound and multiple learning disabilities are often excluded from the processes of knowledge production and face barriers to inclusion in research due to cognitive and communicative challenges. Inclusive research-even when intending to be inclusive-tends to operate within criteria that exclude people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. The aim of this article is to provide a state-of-the-art review of the topic of inclusive research involving people with profound disabilities and thereby challenge traditional assumptions of inclusive research. The review presents themes that will inform a discussion on how to challenge the criteria in ways that make it possible to understand inclusive research for people who communicate in unconventional ways. We argue that a fruitful way of rethinking inclusive research is by applying a sensory-dialogical approach that privileges the dialogical and sensory foundations of the research. We suggest this might be a way to understand inclusive research that regards the person's communicative and cognitive distinctiveness.

The impact of caring for an individual with aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency: a qualitative study and the development of a conceptual model

Background Aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency is a rare neurological condition, associated with a wide range of symptoms and functional issues, such as profound motor impairment and learning disability. Most individuals with AADC deficiency are completely dependent on their caregivers. This study explored the impact of caring for an individual with AADC deficiency. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with caregivers of individuals with AADC deficiency in Italy, Portugal, Spain and the United States. An interview guide was developed with input from clinical experts and caregivers and included questions on the impact of caring for an individual with AADC deficiency. Interviews were conducted by telephone/videoconference and were recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Fourteen caregivers took part who provided care to 13 individuals with AADC deficiency aged 1–15 years. Caregivers reported that their lives centred around the individual with AADC deficiency, due to their need for 24-hour care and regular healthcare appointments. They reported both proximal impacts (impact on time, planning, physical health and emotional wellbeing), and distal impacts (impact on social/leisure activities, relationships, work and finances). These concepts and relationships were illustrated in a conceptual model. Conclusions This is the first qualitative study to report on the experience of caring for an individual with AADC deficiency. Caregivers reported that caring had a substantial multifaceted impact on their lives. These findings highlight the importance of considering the caregiver experience when evaluating the burden of AADC deficiency.

Risks of covid-19 hospital admission and death for people with learning disability: population based cohort study using the OpenSAFELY platform

ObjectiveTo assess the association between learning disability and risk of hospital admission and death from covid-19 in England among adults and children.DesignPopulation based cohort study on behalf of NHS England...

The role of music within the home‐lives of young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities: Parental perspectives

Accessible summary Music is often part of our lives. We asked parents what music is like for children and young people with profound learning disabilities at home. People listened to music more than they made music at home. Music is used for different reasons. Music can help families feel more connected. ​AbstractBackgroundMusic is weaved within our cultures; it is ever‐present within daily‐life and can considerably influence our mood, well‐being and relationships. This study explores parental perceptions of the role of music in the home‐lives of children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities in the UK. It considers parental views of how listening to and making music can shape the mood and behaviours of their child and their relationship.MethodsUsing a mixed‐method explanatory sequential design and cross‐sectional survey methodology, the study collected data from parents and carers of children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Data were collected from an online questionnaire (n = 48) followed by online one‐to‐one interviews (n = 10).FindingsParents reported that children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities more frequently listen to music than make music within the home. They also stated that music is used for enjoyment, to support mood‐regulation and to add structure to the lives of young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Parents finally reported that listening to music together helps families feel more connected and strengthened their relationships.ConclusionThis paper outlines the positive role music may have in the home lives of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and their families.

Enabling design: a case of maker workshops as a method for including special educators in creating digital interactions for learners with profound disabilities

PurposeThis purpose of this paper is to present findings from three workshops that aimed to enable learners with profound and multiple learning disabilities to have a richer, more meaningful experience of a digital curriculum and to bolster a more meaningful creative exchange than currently offered by off the shelf products.Design/methodology/approachInformed by the maker culture and participatory action research, this workshop method focussed on making prototypes and creating concepts that encourage a dialogic approach for envisioning future technologies. As a process of enabling design, this approach placed participants at the heart of iterative methods that support imaginative ideation and improvisation, rather than the production of marketable products.FindingsA thematic analysis of post-workshop discussions revealed that participants felt inspired and supported to envision learner responses to stimuli as novel interactions, without prior knowledge of designing and coding. The collaborative approach provoked the articulation of narratives on learner ability and a reconsideration of “digital” with a contemporary curriculum for learners with profound disabilities.Practical implicationsRunning a maker workshop requires a time and resource commitment from all parties. The emphasis is on easy-to-follow, direct teaching together with low cost electronics and non-digital materials, ensured that these demands were kept to a minimum. However, the gains of participation can only be maintained when support exists both in and out of the workshop environment through the provision of resources and communication channels.Originality/valueThe originality of the workshops lies in the focus on basic electronics, coding and prototyping as a means to think about digital futures. As a method of enabling technologies to tap into learner ability, this process fostered design dialogues through the social act of making, sharing and learning without the need for prerequisite skills.

Healing touch: Using the arts to increase healthy touch between people with PMLD and their carers

For adults with learning disabilities, touch is a necessary element of their everyday care. Yet touch delivered by care providers is a contentious and marginal practice, which is often avoided due to fears of abuse allegations, and the effects of touch avoidance can be significantly detrimental to the quality of care provided. The Safe Touch pilot project, developed with a London-based organization providing care to adults with learning disabilities, including those with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), used performing arts practices and massage to help the staff develop and utilize ‘positive’ touch – touch for communication, interaction and well-being – when working with service users. Fifteen service users with learning disabilities and PMLD along with the organization’s staff participated in the project. Drawing on the project’s processes and findings, some successes and limitations in employing performing arts activities with care staff to increase the use of positive touch with people with PMLD were identified.

A question of perspective—parenting and other matters in the lives of people with learning disabilities

Half of this first issue of 2021 is taken up with papers that discuss parents’ perspectives. This is a familiar topic in the field of learning disabilities and one that retains its relevance today. Here though, we see some questions addressed that have gained less attention in the past. For instance, Carmel Doyle’s paper about the challenges of giving medicines to children with severe and profound learning disabilities is based on research about mothers’ experiences. Here, we see the importance of listening to mothers’ accounts of responding to what was happening with their child through a mix of observation, instinctive knowing and tuning in to changes they alone might perceive by knowing their child so well. Doyle makes a strong case for providing mothers with support in giving medicine as they develop their skills in this area. Fathers provide the focus for the next papers. Harriet Cameron and Louise Cooper argue that fathers of children with autism and learning disabilities are less well-understood. Through their exploration of the perspectives of four fathers, we see the concerns about fatherhood, particularly not doing enough or getting it right. This paper shows how anxieties and emotional strains, along with joy and hope, are “dynamically produced within their daily encounters with particular normative assumptions, cultural expectations and social judgements constructed in the home, work, school and social environments that fathers have to negotiate.” There is even less research on fathers with learning disabilities, and this is the focus of the paper by Jon Symonds, David Abbott and Daryl Dugdale. The quote in their title, “Someone will come in and say I'm doing it wrong,” not only shows the anxiety about getting fatherhood right here too, but also highlights added vulnerability to judgement. These fathers were not well supported by services, and the authors call on professionals to have greater engagement with fathers when working with families. It is this paper that Sunderland People First chose to focus on for their In Response article. The self-advocates appreciated the way the research was done, the plentiful examples and voices of the dads involved. They echo the importance of raising awareness about the topic. Two more of the papers in this issue illuminate family perspectives. For Jon Codd and Olivia Hewittt, the focus is on parents’ perspectives on the transition to adulthood for their son or daughter with learning disabilities, though the main researcher is a sibling rather than parent. The findings show the difficulties and heightened uncertainty at this critical time in people’s lives when navigating services is particularly challenging. Lastly, from Agnes Turnpenny and colleagues we hear the perspectives of family members who manage direct payments in moves towards more person-centred support. They show their motivations, experiences of the challenges involved and mixed emotions about taking this on and how the path to achieving the aspirations to give greater choice and control of support for their family member was often rocky. Common across all these family-focused papers is a willingness to explore in depth people’s lived experiences as they see them, to recognise the importance of family members in people’s lives and to educate professionals on these matters. The remaining papers cover a range of perspectives. This includes the perspectives of people with learning disabilities who do not eat meat because of their concerns for animal welfare. As author, Claire Bates, points out, there is little accessible information on meat-free diets for this group. Turning attention to the Basque Region of Spain, Garazi Yurrebaso Atutxa and colleagues share the perspectives of educational professionals on best transition practices for young people with learning disabilities becoming adults. Transition when leaving school is also the focus for Helen Connaughton and Tony Cline in their paper, this time looking at how theory influences the planning for one 17 years old. While the perspectives of the young woman and those supporting her are important, the research also shows how wider societal perspectives can remain limiting. Next, in the paper by Rengina Giannaki and Olivia Hewitt, we hear from people with learning disabilities and anxiety (and the people supporting them) on their experiences of participating in a cognitive behavioural therapy group. The final paper by Ariel Schwartz and colleagues brings in the perspectives of young people with disabilities in the process of creating patient-reported outcome measures as an easy-to-use way to tell their doctors and therapists what they think and feel. It is a good paper to end on as it underlines a theme in the journal of the ways in which different researcher and researched perspectives are important and can be brought together in the interests of people with learning disabilities. During 2020, the editorial board worked on various journal developments, all in the spirit of ensuring that the British Journal of Learning Disabilities is fit for the next decade. We have introduced the response papers by people with learning disabilities as part of our desire that the journal fosters dialogue between researchers and the people their research is about. We have also worked on making information about the journal accessible. This began with our aims and scope in easy read and audio versions to go alongside the recent easy read guidance for authors with learning disabilities. It has extended to other important documents such as calls for papers. Like other articles, the editorials now have accessible summaries too. And most importantly perhaps, we have introduced video abstracts. You can see our first one with the paper by Sofie Sergeant and colleagues among our early view papers: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bld.12357. We know that video can be a very accessible medium, and we hope that most authors will want to accept the offer for us to publish a video-recorded summary of what their paper is about and why it is important. These video abstracts will be free to view for all. In addition to enhancing the ways in which the journal is relevant and accessible to people with learning disabilities, the editorial board has worked on ensuring that the papers we publish are of the highest ethical standards. To this end, a careful, iterative and reflective process of dialogue led us to create the new ethical guidelines available in the Aims and Scope part of the journal’s online Author Guidelines https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/14683156/homepage/forauthors.html. This process was complex because of the need to respect cultural and national procedural differences as well as to ensure respectful treatment of people with learning disabilities and their privacy, dignity and data at all times. We are sure that we will come back to these guidelines in the near future, but for now they represent a position we are happy with. Finally, looking ahead, 2021 sees special issues being published and a call for papers for our anniversary special issue in 2022 on 50 years of the British Journal of Learning Disabilities: The power of the past. See the call for abstracts from the international guest editing team, including an easy read version, on the journal home page https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14683156. The special issue dedicated to the history of learning (intellectual) disabilities across the globe is a reflection of the journal’s long association with the social history of learning (intellectual) disabilities and with making history in its pioneering publishing of inclusive and co-researched histories. I end this editorial with the observation that as well as encouraging submissions on current, even urgent, questions about life with learning disabilities in very challenging pandemic times, the editors have a keen interest in global and historical perspectives in addition to the role perspectives represented in this issue.

Using Musical Play with children with profound and multiple learning disabilities at school

We all ‘play’ music! Play experiences for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) are often compromised, lost in complex care routines, increasingly stretched timetables and a lack of suitable play interventions. This study investigates combining music with play, using a set of guidelines and principles developed by the researcher and staff participants: Musical Play. It evaluates the impact of Musical Play on the play experiences of both the learners and staff. This study included five primary‐aged children and four teaching staff, during a five‐week implementation period in a UK special school. The study collected multiple data sources to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Results reveal that Musical Play elicited engaged, playful and creative responses, encouraging peer‐awareness and interactions. The intervention allowed staff a sense of freedom from target‐driven work, providing a unique opportunity to immerse themselves fully in the play experience.