Target Word® Advanced Workshop for Speech-Language Pathologists
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) often see very young children who leave them puzzled. These are the children who appear to have all the skills necessary for expressive language development but are notably behind other children their age. Cognitive skills, comprehension, social and play skills are all developing as expected, but they just aren’t using words or word combinations like other children their age.
The Hanen Centre identifies a late talker as a child who meets the following criteria:
- Has an expressive vocabulary of fewer than 24 words and is between 18 and 20 months
- Has an expressive vocabulary of fewer than 40 words and is between 21 and 24 months
- Has an expressive vocabulary of fewer than 100 words and/or no two-word combinations and is between 24 and 30 months
- Has relatively good skills in his or her other areas of development (learning, gross and fine motor, play, social, etc.) and
- Has some risk factors, such as limited use of gestures, limited use of different speech sounds, and having a member in the extended family who has had speech or learning difficulties
As an SLP, it’s important for you to be able to identify late talkers and to know how to address their very specific expressive language needs.
Target Word is a two-day advanced Hanen workshop that certifies you to offer the Target Word Hanen Program® for Parents of Children who are Late Talkers. This workshop gives you the tools to enable parents to help their child learn to use words and to lay the foundation for early sentence use.
This program focuses specifically on building expressive vocabulary through responsive, child-centered interactions. You’ll help each parent choose 10 individual “target” words for their child to learn and you'll show them how to incorporate these words repetitively into a variety of everyday activities and routines.
The Target Word workshop includes a review of the current literature, activities to reinforce parents’ learning, small group discussions, opportunities to practice using target words, and an overall framework for developing intervention goals for young children who talk late.
Why Take the Target Word® Advanced Workshop?
►The ability to offer an evidence-based intervention program to parents
Like all of Hanen's programs, Target Word was developed by expert speech-language pathologists at The Hanen Centre and is grounded in extensive research in the field of early language intervention. The program draws from research that identifies effective strategies for enhancing very young children’s expressive language development.
This program is based on research that showed that the Target Word approach is effective in increasing late talkers' expressive vocabulary and that this form of intervention “kickstarted” the children’s language development in general.
When you offer the Target Word program to parents, you’ll be teaching them:
- What to do when their child sends messages without using words
- The importance of using gestures to support the development of early vocabulary and word combinations
- How to identify words that are motivating for their child to say
- Ideas for introducing “target” words and ideas into playtime and how to make these words stand out
- Ways to “set up a situation” to encourage the child to send more messages and use new words
You’ll teach parents practical, easy-to-use strategies that naturally fit into everyday activities with their child. These strategies include:
Let your child lead
Parents discover ways to join in the play and model the words their child would use. |
Expand your child’s message
Parents learn how to add new ideas and words to their child’s messages |
TARGET what you say
Parents learn how to highlight words and add gestures to make the words stand out |
Put a SPARK in songs and games
Parents learn how to include target words in songs and games. |
To read more about what parents learn in the Target Word program, click on the link below:
►First Step Diagnostic Intervention
The Target Word Program provides SLPs with an initial diagnostic intervention for young children whose delayed expressive language may be due to suspected motor speech difficulties.
In their Best Practice guidelines for Childhood Apraxia of Speech, the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) recommends that intervention for very young children be designed to support a “safe communication environment that encourages increased communication”.
As a Response to Intervention (RTI) program, Target Word provides strategies known to foster positive interactions for language learning and ensures a safe communicative environment. It also applies criteria known to encourage speech sound production in the selection of target words.
Following involvement in a Target Word Program, the next steps for intervention and confirmation of motor speech difficulties will be more apparent.
►Comprehensive resources to use in your Target Word® program
SLPs who attend a Target Word workshop receive all the resources required to offer the Target Word Program to parents. The workshop will familiarize you with the Target Word Leaders Guide, assessment protocols and video feedback framework. The resources you’ll receive include:
1. The Target Word® Making Hanen Happen Leaders Guide
This step-by-step guide describes the pre-program assessment, each of the five group sessions and the two individual consultation appointments. All handouts and checklists needed to offer the program are included in this leader's guide.
2. The Target Word® Parent Handbook
This is the handbook each family receives at the beginning of the program. It includes specific information about children who are late talkers, home activity plans and “target word” tracking sheets.
3. The Target Word® program Slides DVD with embedded video clips
Divided into five power point presentations (one per session), this DVD provides information slides and real-life examples of parents and their children who are late talkers.
4. User Guide
The Video User Guide provides detailed descriptions of each of the parent-child video clips with Making Hanen Happen page references, and describes how to use each video clip in the group session.
5. Introduction to Hanen DVD
This DVD serves as an ideal introduction for parents to the Hanen approach.
►Professional development hours
The Target Word workshop is a great way to earn professional development hours. The workshop provides 13.5 hours of training over a 2-day period is ASHA-approved for 1.35 Continuing Education Credits.
►Ongoing Support
As a Hanen member certified in Target Word, the Program Manager Cindy Earle, as well as the Hanen team will be there to support you and answer any questions you may have about running the program or using the resources. You’ll receive frequent updates on the latest news and research concerning early childhood language development and the Target Word program, and you’ll have easy access to all updates to the Leader’s Guide.
Taking the Target Word® Workshop
To take the workshop, SLPs first need to take the It Takes Two To Talk® Certification Workshop. You’ll take this workshop to learn the benefits of a naturalistic, child-centered approach to language-facilitation, as well as the principles of adult learning and video feedback – all core concepts in every Hanen Program®.
To find out more about the It Takes Two to Talk Certification Workshop, click on the link below:
Once certified in It Takes Two to Talk, the Target Word Advanced Workshop will build on the principles you’ve learned and help you adjust them to meet the particular needs of parents of children who are late talkers.
If you are already a Hanen member certified in It Takes Two to Talk, click here to find a Target Word Advanced Workshop near you.
If you would like to view the Target Word® Advanced Workshop Fact Sheet, click here.