Speech-Language Pathologists

Hanen Programs

For more than 30 years, The Hanen Centre has been providing speech-language pathologists with innovative training in running our unique programs for parents, educators, and other important people in a child’s life.

Hanen Programs for Parents 

	It Takes Two To Talk® – The Hanen Program® for Parents
	More Than Words® – The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
	Target Word® – The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children Who Are Late Talkers

Programs for Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Providers 

Learning Language and Loving It  - The Hanen Program® for Early Childhood Educators/Teachers

About Hanen Programs
In a Hanen Program, groups of parents or educators learn how to create and take advantage of everyday opportunities to promote language development so that language learning becomes an ongoing, enjoyable and natural part of a child’s life. 

Our programs are internationally recognized for their quality and innovation. They are designed and continuously updated with the most current knowledge about early language intervention and the best ways of fostering children’s language development.

Hanen Programs recognize the need for early intervention and the critical importance of parent and caregiver involvement in facilitating language learning. The programs are based on years of research into how children learn to communicate and the role of the parent or caregiver in this process – research that is ongoing and continues to shape our programs.  In addition, the design of Hanen Programs is based on empirically proven adult learning principles. In this way, we have been able to create an environment in our programs where participants can learn program content in ways that enable them to effectively apply the information long after the program concludes.
 

What Hanen Programs Offer

	A specially trained Hanen-Certified speech-language pathologist who leads the program
	Informative and personal classes for small groups of parents or educators
	Programs for parents include a pre-program consultation for parents and their child with a Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist
	Individual consultations for parents and educators with a Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist, which include video feedback sessions of parents/educators
	A beautifully illustrated guidebook that contains much of the information parents or educators will learn during the program

It Takes Two To Talk – The Hanen Program_® for Parents
 
A Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist leads a small group of parents through the It Takes Two to Talk Program, which typically runs one evening per week over 11 weeks (except for the weeks when individual videotaping and feedback take place).  This family-focused program for parents of children who are delayed in their language development is recommended for parents with children with a range of communication abilities. It is suitable for parents of children who are not yet communicating or are communicating non-verbally - with gestures and sounds, for example – and extends to those who are beginning to use single words and/or two and three word combinations.

Group sessions involve experiential learning through participative lectures, small group discussions and activities, and analysis of videotaped interactions.  Combined with individual consultation involving video feedback, the It Takes Two to Talk Program offers a personalized approach designed to meet the needs of each child in the program.

Running the It Takes Two to Talk Program
Speech-language pathologists must complete our Level One Certification Workshop, “Involving Parents as Language Facilitators,” to lead the It Takes Two to Talk Program. See Hanen Workshops for details.

What Parents Learn in the It Takes Two to Talk Program
The Hanen speech-language pathologist leading the It Takes Two to Talk Program helps parents learn a number of practical strategies to foster their child’s social and communication skills and encourage ongoing language learning. 

Some of these strategies include: 

	How to become more sensitive to their child’s communication by observing, waiting and listening
	How to follow their child’s lead and respond to their child in ways that promote interaction and communication and establish a foundation for early conversations
	How to create and take advantage of everyday opportunities to help their child communicate and use language
	How to use language with their child in ways that improve the child’s ability to understand and express him or herself
	How to play with their child and use toys, books, music, and creative activities as opportunities to enhance communication

Hanen Certified speech-language pathologists dealing with children with severe expressive language delays but no apparent difficulties in comprehension, play, motor or cognitive/learning skills are advised to consider taking the Advanced Workshop to run Target Word_® – The Hanen Program_® for Parents of Children Who Are Late Talkers.

Hanen Certified speech-language pathologists in contact with parents of children who have communication difficulties associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are advised to take the Advanced Workshop to run More Than Words – The Hanen Program_® for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Children who have significant oral motor difficulties, such as developmental apraxia of speech are best served by other, more direct, intervention models. 

More Than Words – The Hanen Program_® for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

A Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist leads a small group of parents through the More Than Words Program, which typically runs one evening per week over 11 weeks (except for the weeks when individual videotaping and feedback take place).  This unparalleled program gives parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) practical tools to help their children learn to communicate.

More Than Words is helpful for any child under the age of six who is experiencing difficulties in social interaction and communication. Young children who show symptoms of ASD but do not have an ASD diagnosis have been shown to benefit from the same kind of early intervention as those with the diagnosis.

Running the More Than Words Program
Hanen Certified speech-language pathologists must complete the More Than Words Workshop to be qualified to lead this program. See Hanen Workshops for details.

What Parents Learn in the More Than Words Program
The Hanen speech-language pathologist leading the More Than Words Program helps parents learn strategies that are especially geared to the particular communication challenges that come with autism spectrum disorder and other social communication disorders.

Some of the learning strategies include:

	How to create predictable and repetitive everyday routines that will help their child learn to communicate
	How to use pictures and print to help their child’s understanding
	How to develop their child’s play skills and use these as a pathway to language learning
	Understanding why their child behaves in certain ways and what they can do about these behaviours
	How to help their child make friends

A Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist leads a small group of parents through the Target Word Program. It typically includes an orientation session, four group sessions and two individual consultations with video feedback.  This program is spread out over a 10 - to 12-week period so that there are always two weeks between sessions.  Target Word is designed for parents who have children formally identified as late talkers.
 
Who are the Children who are Late Talkers?
A child is considered a late talker if he or she is:

	between the ages of 18 and 20 months and using fewer than 10 words
	between the ages of 21and 24 months and using fewer than 25 words
	between the ages of 24 and 30 months and using fewer than 50 words and/or not yet combining words

Parents of children who are late talkers do not have concerns about their child's comprehension, play, motor or cognitive/learning abilities. Hanen's It Takes Two To Talk or More Than Words Programs may better serve parents with these concerns, depending on the particular needs of their child.
 
Running the Target Word Program
Hanen Certified speech-language pathologists must complete the Target Word Workshop to be qualified to lead this program. See Workshops for details.
 
What Parents Learn in the Target Word Program
In the Target Word Program, the Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist leading the program helps parents learn to create language learning and opportunities during interactions and conversations with their child. Parents learn to use focused stimulation and to simplify their own expressive language to facilitate their child's vocabulary growth.
 
Focused stimulation involves the repeated use of a specific word or phrase during an interaction with the child. The Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist helps parents select ten individualized target words and phrases for their child. Parents then learn how to emphasize these targets and to create opportunities for their child to use them, while continually following the child's lead and ensuring that conversational turns between the two are balanced.
 

Learning Language and Loving It – The Hanen Program_® for Early Childhood Educators/Teachers
In this program, Hanen Certified speech-language pathologists help teachers* learn to make language learning a natural part of everyday conversation, play activities and daily routines in any early childhood or child care setting.

This innovative program addresses the teacher's vital role in facilitating children's social and language development and in fostering peer interaction, pretend play and the development of emergent literacy. While teachers use the knowledge they gain from this program to promote children’s social, language and early literacy development, it is particularly useful in helping them to address the needs of children with language delays or special needs, or those who are learning a second language.

*Terminology for staff providing child care and early childhood education varies greatly in different provinces and countries. For simplicity’s sake we use the terms educator, child care provider and teacher interchangeably to refer to all relevant professions.

	Prevention of Language Delays - by helping teachers create a language-rich, highly interactive environment for children at risk for language delays
	Early Language Intervention - by helping teachers provide children who have identified language delays with a highly interactive language-learning environment geared to each child's individual language level and conversational style
	Language Enrichment - by helping teachers provide typically developing children with an enriched language-learning environment that builds on their existing language skills and promotes the development of the language of learning

	The stages of language development and children’s individual styles of communication; how to adjust to these when interacting with children
	How to create an enriched, interactive language-learning environment for all children in their care so that all children are engaged in extended and pleasurable interactions with their teachers and peers throughout the day
	Their vital role in facilitating children's language, social and literacy development, which includes not only helping children to learn to talk, but also to talk to learn
	Specific strategies they can use during their common, daily interactions with the children in their care  (especially those children who have language delays and special needs) to enhance language, social and literacy development

Running the Learning Language and Loving It Program
Hanen Certified speech-language pathologists must complete the Learning Language and Loving It Workshop to be qualified to lead this program. See Hanen Workshops for details. They may be assisted by an early childhood education consultant who has attended a Learning Language and Loving It Program and has been trained to help run the program.

Hanen Learning Materials
Step-by-step, illustrated guidebooks and teaching tapes have been developed for Hanen Certified speech-language pathologists running Hanen Programs, with additional optional materials also available.  A variety of resources are also available to any speech-language pathologist interested in the Hanen approach.  Visit our on-line Learning Resource Centre to find out more about all of Hanen's great resources.