Sept
 Feb 16, 2018

Building Print Knowledge Over-Scheduled Andrew

There’s a lot your child needs to learn about print before he can start to read and write. Using the fun book Over-Scheduled Andrew, this Book Nook post focuses on helping your child understand that we read print from left to right and from the top to the bottom of the page.



 
Jan
 Jan 10, 2018

Building Vocabulary with Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly

Studies show that the larger a child’s vocabulary when she starts school, the better her reading comprehension will be later. In this Book Nook, we share some helpful tips for how to introduce new words to your child using the fun book, Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly.



 
Nov
 Nov 9, 2017

Building Sound Awareness with Little Blue Truck

Helping children understand that words can be broken down into individual sounds is called sound awareness or “phonological awareness”. Here’s a fun strategy to help you build this essential precursor for successful reading and writing.



 
November 8, 2017

ASHA Convention 2017 in Los Angeles

We're excited to be at this year's ASHA Convention in Los Angeles from Nov 9-11! If you're attending, make sure to visit us at Booth #732 to see everything we have to offer. We also have 4 presentations coming up that you can look forward to!

Visit our ASHA page to find out who’s going to be there and what we’ll be up to, and remember to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for frequent updates!

We hope to see you at the convention!

Sept
 Sept 19, 2017

Books for Kids Who Don’t Like Books

Book reading is one of the most important things you can do with a child to build his early literacy skills. But what if your child doesn’t like books? Here are some tips that may help to engage reluctant readers and help them see how fun book reading can be!



 
July
 July 22, 2017

Predicting with This Is Not My Hat

Teach your child to read between the lines of a story by predicting what will happen next with Jon Klassen’s This Is Not My Hat.



 
May
 May 29, 2017

Putting it All Together with Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse    

In this month’s special Book Nook, we show you how to use multiple strategies in the same book reading and maximize your child’s learning.



 
May 1, 2017

Will we see you in Sydney this month?

On May 25 and 26, we'll be at the ECIA National Conference – stop by our booth on your way to the main plenary room.

From May 28 until May 31, we'll be at the Speech Pathology Australia National Conference 2017 at Booth 30. We'll also be giving a presentation on a telepractice delivery of our More Than Words Program on May 31 at 11:40 a.m.*

Hope to see you there!

*If you'd like to attend this presentation, please register for W1C - the Access for All Session.
 
February
 February 14, 2017

Developing story comprehension with Something from Nothing    

Help your child understand the parts of a story using Hanen’s CSPAR strategy and this beloved children’s tale.



 
January
January 31, 2017

Save 50% when you help us build a better website   

We're redesigning our website and need your help! Take our survey and save 50% on a guidebook (for parents) or e-Seminar (for professionals).

Take the survey

 
December
December 20, 2016

Building Your Child’s Print Knowledge with There’s a Giraffe in My Soup    

Parents Magazine named this story one of the 10 Best Children’s Books of 2016. Use it to help your child learn about print!



 
November
November 7, 2016

Our time at ASHA 2016

We went to Philadelphia for the 2016 ASHA Convention. Take a look at what we did!


 
October
October 25, 2016

New Book Nook post on Helping your child understand why things happen with The Gruffalo   

Learn how to help your child understand what happens in a story with this classic children's book in our latest Book Nook!



 
October 20, 2016

Presenting at 2016 Early Intervention-Preschool Conference in Alabama!

We have an exciting presentation planned at the 2016 Early Intervention-Preschool Conference in Montgomery, Alabama!

When: Monday, October 24th @ 10:30 am
Topic: Taking Parent Coaching to the Next Level – Helping Parents Make Behavior Changes that Stick!
Where: Renaissance Montgomery Hotel (Montgomery, AL)  


 
August
August 18, 2016

New Book Nook post on Building Letter-Sound Awareness!

Get tips for building your child’s Letter-Sound Awareness with the fun children’s book, Happy Baby ABC.
 


 
August 11, 2016

Learn about supporting bilingual children with our new e-Seminar

Join us on September 8 for the debut of our latest e-Seminar, Boosting Bilingual Environments for Young Children: What the Research Says.
 

Learn More


 
June
June 14, 2016

New Book Nook post on early vocabulary!

Get tips for building your child’s early vocabulary skills with the fun children’s book, Dear Zoo.
 


 
June 06, 2016

Presenting at NAEYC 2016!

We have an exciting presentation planned at the NAEYC PDI conference on June 7th!
Topic: Supporting Critical Thinking with Powerful Conversations
Take a sneak peek at the presentation slides to see what we’ll be talking about!


 
May
May 13, 2016

Spotlight on Hanen Early Childhood Education Programs in Denmark

There's been a flurry of Hanen activity in Denmark in the last few years, and it's all thanks to the hard work of a small group of committed Hanen members. Take a look at what's been accomplished and how the Learning Language and Loving It and ABC and Beyond Programs are making a difference for countless children in the country.
 

Read More


 
December
December 09, 2015

New Book Nook post on story comprehension!

Tips for helping your child understand stories by relating the book to his or her existing knowledge and experiences.
 


 
November
November 25, 2015

Expressive language, gestures and critical thinking

We had 3 well-attended presentations at the ASHA Convention, and we're sharing the slides for anyone who may have missed them!
View presentation slides here.


 
October
October 6, 2015

I’m Ready! named one of the “top 10 books for raising a reader”

Brain, Child Magazine has listed Hanen’s I’m Ready! parent guidebook as one of “top 10 books for raising a reader”. See the full list here and learn more about I’m Ready!






 

September
September 11, 2015

Closing the word gap: One family’s experience with the Target Word™ Program

Hanen’s Target Word Program is designed specifically for families of children who are Late Talkers – children who have strong comprehension, social, and play skills, but who are using fewer words than other children their age.

We were delighted to receive this inspiring letter from a family who attended the program and learned new ways to encourage their child’s expressive language development.

Read the letter

August
August 4, 2015

New e-Seminar on coaching parents

Join us on August 19th for the debut sessions of our new e-Seminar, Taking Parent Coaching to the Next Level – Helping Parents Make Behavioural Changes That Stick!

Learn more
 

July
July 14, 2015

What a year!

2014 was full of non-stop activity for Hanen. Here’s a quick snapshot of what we did...

2014 Public Annual Report




 



 
June
June 26, 2015

Help us improve our website!

The Hanen website is one of our key communication tools for connecting with families and professionals around the world. Every now and then, we assess our website to make sure it’s meeting the needs and expectations of our important audiences, and a crucial part of that is getting valuable input from both professionals and parents.

Please take a few minutes to fill out this quick survey, and help us do our best to ensure that you have the best possible experience every time you visit us online.

Take the survey



 
March
March 25, 2015



Introducing the Hanen Book Nook!


We've created a new space on our website for sharing fun literacy-building tips!

Every other month, we pick a popular children's book and talk about ways you can use it to build emergent literacy skills -- the critical foundations for learning to read and write.

 

 
February
February 6, 2015


Bridging the Gap Between the Home and the Classroom
 



Hanen Happenings: Thanks so much for taking some time to chat with us today Ellen. Let’s get right into things − how did you come to incorporate the I’m Ready! parent guidebook into your early literacy initiatives?

 

Ellen: Well, before I’m Ready!, we were already using the Hanen guidebook for educators, ABC and Beyond. We gave all of the teachers in the school a copy of ABC and Beyond last summer and have since been holding monthly professional development sessions, with each session focusing on a different chapter. This approach worked very well, and we soon had a cohesive school wide approach to building emergent literacy. We could see incredible changes happening in the classrooms, especially in the conversations between children and educators – they became so much richer and more interesting.

However, we soon realized that we were missing a piece of the puzzle – parent involvement. We knew that in order to create the best possible learning opportunities for the children, we needed a way to extend the classroom initiatives into the home. But to do this, we needed to get parents and educators on the same page, with a common understanding about what the children need to learn and how best to help them learn it.

 
  An educator helps "make words sparkle" as they explore a picture book a student brought from home

Hanen Happenings: I take it this is where I’m Ready! comes into the picture?

Ellen: Exactly. I was speaking with someone at Hanen when I’m Ready! was launched and they explained how it was written specifically for parents. I thought “Oh my gosh! How am I going to find enough money to buy enough copies!?” But I very quickly found the money because we decided, “How can we not?” If our huge, big school-wide goal is making early literacy learning the focus, then we have to do this.

Hanen Happenings: How did you introduce I’m Ready! to the parents?

Ellen: So every year we have a curriculum night for parents, one in the fall and one in the spring. For the fall one, we decided to focus on the “Turn Book Reading into a Conversation” chapter in I’m Ready! Two weeks before the curriculum night we gave out I’m Ready! (one to every family) and said “Take a look at that chapter”. That’s when we invited the specialist from Eric Carle, the Museum of Picture Book Art to come in, and he really talked about how to look at illustrations and how to bring conversation out of the illustrations. It was amazing. We talked a lot about why you should read a book more than once. And people’s reactions were like, “Oh my god, I feel so guilty, I always rush my kid and I never wanna read it again!” We were like, “teach your child that it’s okay to read two pages. You don’t need to get to the end. That’s not the goal.” That was really new to people.

 

Parents make storytelling props to support the I'm Ready! strategies they plan to use with their children

At this point the parents were on board with this full spectrum approach to building their child’s early literacy, and they really understood how important their role was. In order to keep the learning process happening with the parents, we have been arranging what we’re calling “literacy chats”. These are hosted a couple times a month at different parents’ houses. The parents and teachers meet up at these literacy chats and focus on a different chapter at each meet up. We ask each parent to bring their I’m Ready! book. It’s a little time for socialization to get to know each other, of course, but it also gives the teachers an opportunity to talk about what they do at school to promote specific literacy skills, like print knowledge or story understanding. Then they open it up for parents to ask any questions they want about literacy and what they’re thinking of and what they’ve tried at home.

 

Hanen Happenings: So once you explained what the goals were and how you’re going to accomplish them, did you find that parents we’re very willing to participate?

 

Ellen Dietrick turns book reading into a conversation with one of her students
Ellen: Yes. They’re so eager. And thankful! Two people called today and said “We lost the book! Can we please get another copy?”

 

Hanen Happenings: And since bringing the parents in more, have you seen that between the teachers and the parents, they’re finding more common ground and understanding about the overall approach?

Ellen: Definitely! When we have one-to-one meetings with the parents, there’s now a common language. They can have back-and-forth conversations after having built a shared understanding of emergent literacy strategies and why their important. As a result I am seeing incredible changes happening in our classrooms. Small group reading is now at the center instead of on the sideline, and the conversations are rich and interesting. So many words are “sparkling” and it is such a pleasure to watch.

Hanen Happenings: Thanks so much for sharing your story with us Ellen. It’s really great to hear the different ways educators and parents are using Hanen resources like I’m Ready! Any final comments before we wrap up?

Ellen: It was my pleasure, thanks for having me!

 

January
January 9, 2015

Hanen Around the Globe: Speech Therapy Success in India

Hanen Certified SLP Namrata Pai sheds light on the changing landscape of speech therapy in India

I have been a pediatric speech-language pathologist for 10 years. However, the last 3 years as a Hanen program leader have changed my outlook towards speech language therapy, as well as towards the families I work with. I owe a lot of success in my private practice to the relationships I have built with the families by running Hanen programs. Having completed six programs to date (4 It Takes Two to Talk® and 2 More Than Words®), I believe in its power to be a sound platform for a structured and research-based approach to early language intervention.

It all started with a book

My tryst with Hanen began with the discovery of the It Takes Two to Talk guidebook in my university library that I would often use to plan/prepare activities during my clinical therapy assignments as a student and later as a private practitioner. I was certain that if the right opportunity came knocking at my door, I would grab it and get Hanen certified.

Parents take part in an It Takes Two to Talk program 

I have always worked with the pediatric population and I realized that with the number of children I would see in a day, each child would receive only one session (45 minutes) of intervention services per week. The lucky ones would receive 2 sessions per week, which I knew was still not sufficient. It was becoming clear to me that intensive intervention could only be realized if the parents were equally involved in the child’s developmental plan. Right from the early days of my practice, I would always have parents physically participate in the session and watch me. However, prior to becoming Hanen Certified, I lacked the structure and specific teaching skills necessary for a holistic and successful implementation of the strategy. When Hanen Instructor Cindy Smith, Hanen’s Australian instructor, came along in 2011 to offer the It Takes Two to Talk Certification Workshop in Bangalore India, I was determined to sign up for it and there has been no looking back since.

The changing face of speech therapy

My journey has not come without its challenges. As elsewhere around the globe, speech therapy in India can become an expensive affair and therapy services are not covered under insurance. The issue is compounded by many under-qualified/under-skilled therapists practicing due to lack of strict regulations to monitor the quality of service and the quality of therapists. This leads to parents being very skeptical and ill-informed about the benefits of proper speech therapy. Importantly, the parents need to be sensitized to the fact that this program is a means to better communication opportunities for the child and not a magic pill that will “fix” his/her communication issues.

That being said, I have noticed many changes in people’s perception of speech therapy in India over the last 10 years. Parents are getting more involved with their children, becoming more responsive and playing more proactive roles in the therapy process. Five years ago Hanen was something totally new for parents, but now I have curious and enthusiastic parents approaching me and asking about my upcoming Hanen program schedules.

From silence to public speaker

This shift in perception is due simply to a growing awareness of speech and language difficulties in children as well as the growing number of therapy success stories. Recently I was pleasantly surprised to see two parents from my first It Takes Two to Talk program visit the centre. I remember their son Rahul being a “first words user” who would only engage in pretend cooking and hated books and music. I clearly remember that by the end of the program, he had started interacting using books and also enjoyed some songs made up by his mother. I witnessed his mom go from being stressed and anxious to becoming more relaxed and enjoying the interactions with her son. During their recent visit, they wanted to share a joyous landmark moment: Rahul had been selected to deliver a thank you speech at his school. This child is one success story that fortified my belief in the Hanen approach and its potential to make a difference and change lives.


 

Group picture of Namrata's first More Than Words program

December
December 18, 2014

Hanen Families: Meet the O'Sullivans

At Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Subiaco, a suburb in Perth, Western Australia, two dedicated Hanen Certified speech-language pathologists, Mandy Pszczola and Cara Crage, have been running Hanen programs tirelessly, making sure that parents get the support they need to help their children develop improved communication skills.

Hanen Happening staff had a chance to chat with Sandra and Cathal O’Sullivan, a family who recently completed It Takes Two to Talk® – The Hanen Program® for parents of children with language delays, offered by Mandy Pszczola and Cara Crage. The O’Sullivans talked about how their lives with their son Ryan have changed since completion of the It Takes Two to Talk program…

 
Before taking the It Takes Two to Talk Program with his parents, Ryan O'Sullivan was having a difficult time communicating with those around him. Since completing the program the O'Sullivans report that not only is Ryan communicating better, but that they are communicating better as a family overall

Hanen: Do you know anything about yourself or your child now that you didn’t know before you took the It Takes Two to Talk program?

O’Sullivans: Loads and Loads. I had thought we were communicating, but after taking the program we realized there is so much more to communication. We have learned that with both guidance and encouragement, we are able to communicate on a level that works best for our child.

Hanen: Do you think you have changed the way you communicate with your child as a result of taking the It Takes Two to Talk program?

O’Sullivans: The program helped us to understand that our son’s day to day interactions are not always meaningful to him or taking place on a level that he understands. We now understand what we need to do to make interactions more meaningful for him, such as being more intentional with our interactions. This has helped us to engage better as a family.

Hanen: Do you think your child has changed the way he communicates with you in the last three months?

O’Sullivans: Yes. Armed with the strategies we learned we are better able to interpret our son’s communication, and now that our interactions are more meaningful to him, we feel we are going to continue making positive forward progress.

Hanen: Any closing comments about your experience in the It Takes Two to Talk program?

O’Sullivans: Really enjoyed the course, I just wish I had done it earlier. We are going to have communication sessions with the whole family, because it’s not just mum and dad who need to have these skills!

Hanen: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us!

O’Sullivans: It was our pleasure, and thank you to Princess Margaret Hospital for running such a wonderful program! It will really improve life for us and our little man!
 

December 1, 2014

A Hanen Recap: ASHA 2014

We had a great time at the American Speech and Hearing Association's annual convention in Orlando, Florida from Nov. 20th - 22nd! Here are some of our photos from the convention along with a note from Elaine Weitzman, Executive Director at The Hanen Centre.


 

A note from Elaine Weitzman, Executive Director, The Hanen Centre

The American Speech and Hearing Association has the biggest annual convention in the field of speech-language pathology. This year’s convention, in Orlando, Florida, had 12,000 delegates. Every year, Hanen has a booth at the convention and several staff attend. This year, four of our Clinical Managers presented information on the Hanen approach to early language intervention/facilitation.
 

The presentations were as follows:
 

Training Teachers to Meet Kindergarten Learning Expectations Through the Power of Conversation Poster presentation by: Janice Greenberg - B.Sc., D.S.P. Director of Early Childhood Education Services, The Hanen Centre
 

Taking Parent Coaching to the Next Level: Helping Parents Make Behavioral Changes That Stick! Session presented by: Cindy Conklin - M.Cl.Sc. Program Director, It Takes Two to Talk®
 

Getting Parents Involved in Early Language Intervention: Collaborative Goal Planning Session presented by: Toby Stephan - MA, CCC-SLP Hanen Instructor
 

Raising Public Awareness of Language Disorders Seminar presented by: Sean Redmund, University of Utah; Mark Simms, Medical College of Wisconsin; Cindy Earle, Program Director - Target Word® Program, The Hanen Centre; Nickola Nelson, Western Michigan University
 

At the booth, we enjoyed meeting hundreds of speech-language pathologists, many of whom were Hanen members. While some of these members were American, others had come all the way from Sweden, Iceland, Hong Kong and The Netherlands! Many speech-language pathologists came to our booth to find out more about Hanen, our resources and our trainings for professionals.
 

We had a wonderful three days in Orlando – and look forward to the next convention in Denver, Colorado in 2015!
 

November
November 14, 2014

Ready, Set – ASHA!

We’re gearing up for one of our busiest years yet at the ASHA Convention (Nov. 20-22nd). See what we have in store here!

 

September
September 29, 2014

Heart & Seoul

Hanen Instructor Judy Ball gets a taste of generosity in South Korea's capital

Though Hanen workshops and personal travel had taken me far and wide, one place I had yet to visit was Korea. Was I in for a treat and many surprises as I facilitated two It Takes Two To Talk® certification workshops in Seoul, in early September.
 

An interesting start…

After a very long day of travel, including flight delays, once in Seoul, I got into a taxi and within a few minutes was asked by the driver, “How old are you?” Somewhat taken aback by a question that would rarely be asked of anyone over 40 in North America, I learned from workshop participants the next day that this is a typical way of starting a conversation in Korea.

Coffee, cars, cool technology and Kimchee

Korea is an incredibly beautiful country with a very rich history and wonderful, friendly people. It is a technology leader, with Samsung, LG and car manufacturers Kia and Hyundai. On every corner there is another new, modern building and just about every other store is a coffee shop. Koreans love their coffee, drink it black and it was impossible for me to find decaf. Workshop participants were so excited to offer me an afternoon snack of coffee poured over ice cream. It gave me a wonderful boost to finish the afternoons.

I took advantage of many of the sights, sounds, and smells of Seoul, and had the opportunity to spend five exciting days touring the country. My husband joined me and we experienced spectacular scenery, stood at the top of the ski jump to be used for the 2018 winter Olympics and tasted a vast variety of foods we have never eaten, including kimchee (a pickled, spicy cabbage dish). When pictures are taken, instead of saying “cheese”, Koreans say “kimchee”.

A wonderful warmth

In many ways the It Takes Two to Talk workshops were very similar to workshops I’ve facilitated in other countries. There were similar questions and comments, and the same dedication to the needs of families of children with language delays. However, the kindness and gentleness of participants will be difficult to match. One morning, I felt like I might actually be at The Hanen Centre, when bagels and cream cheese were set out as a snack for participants! Local delicacies at snack time included sweet rice cakes and other pastries. Visits to interesting local restaurants during the first workshop lunches provided opportunities to chat informally with several workshop participants, and to try my hand at chop sticks.

The effort expended by the workshop participants to experience all aspects of the workshop, and to do so in English - their second language - left me in awe of such an enthusiastic and intelligent group of speech-language pathologists. When necessary, participants who had greater ease with English were more than willing to be interpreters. We learned and laughed together. They participated fully in all aspects of the workshop, including a role play portion which involved dividing into pairs and having one partner play the parent while the other partner (playing the SLP) provided feedback on the parent's interaction with her child.

Looking forward

Throughout the workshops, participants eagerly discussed how this model of early language intervention through parent training could fit into their current service delivery for preschool children with language delays and disorders. Sun, the host of the first workshop, having received her speech-language pathologys training in the U.S., was very familiar with Hanen programs. As a faculty member at Ewha Women’s University (the University boasts a student population of 30,000 women) Sun has been educating her students about programs offered through The Hanen Centre, and was herself an active participant in the workshop.

Participants were also keen to learn about the other Hanen programs, and are anticipating the possibility of bringing other Hanen certification workshops to Korea.

The second workshop was concluded with the popping of corks of nonalcoholic champagne and cake (I have never experienced this before) for all to celebrate their successful completion of the workshop.

Korea itself, and the participants in the It Takes Two To Talk workshops, have left me with memories that will last a lifetime. My thanks to all for their kindness and generosity.
 

September 18, 2014

I Know What You’re Thinking

An interview with TalkAbility™ Program Leader Tamara Stein on understanding Theory of Mind

With the launch of Hanen’s new e-Seminar, Teaching Tuning In: Practical Strategies to Promote Theory of Mind for Verbal Children on the Autism Spectrum, we decided to interview TalkAbility™ Program Leader Tamara Stein to get her view on the importance of theory of mind.

Hanen Happenings (HH): The Teaching Tuning In e-Seminar is based on content from the TalkAbility Program, which you recently started offering to parents of verbal children with autism. How do you usually explain the very abstract and complicated concept of Theory of Mind in a way that’s easy to understand?

Tamara Stein (TS): Well, Theory of Mind is all about our ability to understand what’s going on in other people’s heads. None of us are mind readers (ok, maybe there is such a thing as telepathy but so far I have yet to met anyone with that gift!), but whenever we interact with another person we’re doing some detective work − we take tone of voice, body language, expression and other cues into account in order to accurately interpret the other person’s message. This ability to “tune in” is what helps us understand someone’s thoughts, beliefs and wants without them stating them directly.

We’re also tuning in to our conversational partners when we provide them with background information so that they can better understand what we’re talking about.

HH: So Theory of Mind is the ability to “fill in the blanks,” so to speak?

TS: Exactly. Many people are always reading between the lines without even taking notice. Not that the average person doesn’t experience a communication hiccup here or there. Think of the last time you missed a joke, or misinterpreted someone else’s comment, or rambled on about something you found interesting when your audience lost interest – those are fairly universal experiences.


HH: People who are diagnosed with ASD may experience this more often, though?

TS: Many people diagnosed with ASD have difficulty picking up on non verbal cues, and can often take verbal statements literally as opposed to figuratively. For example, I told one child in my program, “you’re a lucky duck”, and he responded with a confused look and said, “I’m not a duck”. They will also have difficulty reading non verbal cues, and they don’t realize that their communication partners don’t know what they know – which can lead to them forgetting to include context which makes it really tough for listeners to follow their stories.


HH: So what approaches do you take when working with children diagnosed with ASD to help them better “tune in” to those around them?

TS: I work on “tuning in” in the context of TalkAbility: The Hanen Program® for Parents of Verbal Children on the Autism Spectrum. Through that program I teach parents various strategies to use with their children during everyday situations. Children learn how to have better conversations by having conversations. And who better to practice with than their parents? One strategy we talk about in the program is using “tuning-in” vocabulary. I’ll ask parents to use statements like “I’m thinking that…”, “I’m wondering why…”, or “I’m trying to understand…” so that they model their own thinking processes for their children.


HH: Do you get a good response from parents around these techniques?

TS: The parents who I’ve worked with in Talkability are thrilled by the kinds of conversations they can now have with their children, or that they see their children having with their peers. I’ve had parents say to me “I’m finally able to talk to him about his day at school”, and I had one parent tell me that, towards the end of the program, her child was asked on his first official play date! By increasing children’s ability to tune in, we’re helping them to connect with their families and their peers – it’s a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

About Tamara

Tamara Stein works at The Hanen Centre® as a Clinical Program Assistant and offers Hanen Programs to parents and educators. She also provides trainings to educators in the city of Toronto, and is an instructor for a number of Hanen e-Seminars.


August
August 29, 2014

It Takes Two to Talk Hits Munich 

Hanen Instructor Abi Bearn falls in love with the Bavarian capital

Rosi Meyer-Endres, lovely host and speech therapist was thrilled to finally see Hanen’s It Takes Two to Talk™ certification workshop come to Munich. We spent a great four days with therapists from across Germany exploring how to use the It Takes Two to Talk program with families in Germany.

During the course, we often smiled as we discussed the children and their families, finding that there were many similarities between services in the United Kingdom and Germany. We also shared a common desire to increase the effectiveness of therapy by empowering parents and caregivers to deliver targeted language therapy with their child throughout the day.

 
 Here is a picture of one of the world’s most famous Beer Halls – many are in traditional dress with live music and huge beer glasses.

In the evenings, I had the pleasure of exploring Munich with some excellent tour guides - Rosi, Nadine, Kathrin, Gudren, Sally and Christina. Munich is a vibrant city, the capital of Bavaria; it is a friendly and clean city with lots going on. It is a city you fall in love with.

Seeing the development of the It Takes Two to Talk Program in Germany is very exciting! The Hanen Centre is providing support and guidance and, in partnership with the therapists, they are working together to see this comes to fruition.

August 1, 2014

World Cup, Old Friends & The Rhineland

Janice Greenberg, Learning Language and Loving It Program Director, muses about her eventful Frankfurt experience...





I just got back from a fantastic trip to Frankfurt, Germany, where I had the pleasure of facilitating a Learning Language and Loving It Workshop to a very passionate and keen group of German early childhood education consultants and SLPs.

It was truly exciting to see such interest and enthusiasm from the Frankfurters (yes, this is really what you call people from Frankfurt!) in the Learning Language and Loving It philosophy and strategies. Germany has been attracting larger numbers of immigrants over the last few years and as a result, is being increasingly challenged by how to best meet the needs of young children for whom German is not the first language. Delivery of the Learning Language and Loving It Program in early years settings is being viewed as an effective way of enriching the language learning environment for the youngest members of their society.

Continue Reading

July
July 21, 2014

Hanen’s European Adventures


Veteran Hanen Instructor Toby Stephan just wrapped up a pair of It Takes Two To Talk workshops in Barcelona and Madrid!

July 2, 2014

Presentation in Frankfurt

Learning Language and Loving It™ Program Director, Janice Greenberg, presents to early childhood professionals in Frankfurt, Germany on June 30th.

Presentation: Hanen Program − Involving Early Childhood Educators in Language Development

June
June 6, 2014


NAEYC PDI


We're gearing up for the NAEYC PDI Convention this Sunday−Wednesday!

If you'll be there, drop by our booth (#204) to check out Hanen's newest resources, get 25% off all guidebooks, DVDs and posters, enter our draw for 10 great prizes, and chat with Janice Greenberg, Learning Language and Loving It™ and ABC and Beyond™ Program Director.

 

May
May 28, 2014


Review on Hanen's I'm Ready! guidebook


A pediatric SLP has just reviewed Hanen's new guidebook, I'm Ready! How to Prepare Your Child for Reading Success. Read the review here and enter for your chance to win a free copy!

 

May 14, 2014


Success with It Takes Two to Talk®


A family shares the inspiring success story of their son, Elijah, after attending the It Takes Two to Talk Program.

Read article.

April
April 30, 2014


NJSHA Conference


We’ll be at the New Jersey Speech-Language Hearing Association conference from May 1-2. If you’ll be there, don’t miss our presentation!

Presentation title: Helping Parents Use Routines to Foster Children’s Social-Conversational Skills
Presenter: Cindy Conklin, Hanen It Takes Two to Talk® Program Director
Date: Thursday, May 1, 1:00-3:00PM

April 21, 2014

Presenting at the NYSHLA

Toby Stephan, Hanen US Representative and Instructor, will be presenting this Friday, April 25, at the NYSHLA conference in Saratoga Springs, NY. Toby’s presentation Getting Parents Involved in Language Intervention: Collaborative Goal Planning will take place from 10:00AM-12:00PM.

March
March 31, 2014

Just published!

Investigators at the University of Toronto studied the impact of Hanen’s ABC and Beyond™ Program on educators’ use of conversational strategies during shared book reading with small groups of preschoolers. They found that educators in the ABC and Beyond Program used a greater number of open questions, responsive statements and variety of words compared with the control group. The educators and children in the experimental group also had longer book-related conversations than the control group.

Read more about these findings in the Journal of Early Childhood Literacy:

Trelani, F., Girolametto, L., Weitzman, E. & Greenberg, J. (2014). Enhancing preschool educators’ ability to facilitate conversations during shared book reading. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 14(1), 105–140.

March 27, 2014

CSHA Conference!

We’re at the CSHA conference in San Francisco from March 26-28th!
If you'll be there, visit us at booth #410!
March 4, 2014

March university presentations

US representative Toby Stephan will be offering the following presentations to students this month:

  • March 4, 2014: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
  • March 5, 2014: North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC
  • March 14, 2014:University of Montevallo, Montevallo, AL
  • March 31, 2014: Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Moorhead, MN

Learn more about Hanen university presentations.

January
January 27, 2014

Happy Family Literacy Day!

A shout-out to all the schools, organizations, and families that are celebrating by making literacy a fun focus of today’s activities!

Stay tuned for a new Hanen resource for parents on building early literacy – I’m Ready!™ How to Prepare Your Child for Reading Success. Coming out soon, this practical guidebook shows parents fun and simple ways to build the critical early literacy skills that prepare their child for success in school.

January 7, 2014

Sydney hosts Australia’s first Hanen training for Early Interventionists

Hanen’s new training for early interventionists, Building Children’s Communication by Building Caregiver Responsiveness, makes its Australian debut in Sydney, NSW on January 20-21. This intensive training shows providers how they can effectively coach parents to use responsive interaction strategies to build their child’s communication in the context of everyday activities and routines.

Read more about our existing U.S. trainings for early interventionists.

November
November 14, 2013

Presenting at the ASHA Convention

Janice Greenberg, Hanen's Director of Early Childhood Services, presents today: Seeing is Believing: Using Video-Coaching to Enhance Preschool Educators’ Facilitation of Emergent Literacy

November 8, 2013

Getting ready for ASHA

It’s that time of year again! We’re gearing up for the 2013 ASHA Convention in Chicago on November 14th-16th.

Visit our ASHA page to find out who’s going to be there and what we’ll be up to, and remember to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for frequent updates!

We hope to see you at the convention!

October
October 22, 2013

University presentations

US representative Toby Stephan will be offering the following presentations to students this month:

  • October 29th: University of Maine, Orono, ME
  • October 30th: Worcester State University, Worcester, MA
  • October 30th: University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
  • October 31st: Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY

Learn more about Hanen university presentations.

October 8, 2013

New Hanen Workshop Structure for SLPs

We’re excited to announce that we’ve restructured our professional trainings to better meet the needs of SLPs who work with families of children on the autism spectrum. SLPs with no previous Hanen training can now go directly into Hanen’s autism training stream by attending the 3-day More Than Words® Certification Workshop.

Attended by over 4000 SLPs to date, More Than Words offers a world-renowned approach to effectively engaging and involving families of children with autism in their child’s intervention.

Learn more

September
September 13, 2013

Back to School!

It’s a busy September for our US Representative Toby Stephan. These are just a few of the universities he’s visiting this month to offer Hanen Presentations to students:

  • September 12: Longwood University, Farmville, VA
  • September 13: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
  • September 23: Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
  • September 25: Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI
  • September 26: Ball State University, Muncie, IN
  • September 30: Kean University, Union, NJ
  • September 30: Lehman College of CUNY, Bronx, NY
August
August 19, 2013

Just published!

An article by Elaine Weitzman, Executive Director at The Hanen Centre, has just been published in the July ASHA Special Interest Group 1 issue, Perspectives on Language Learning and Education.

The article, titled, “More Than Words—The Hanen Program for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Teaching Model for Parent-implemented Language Intervention” discusses how the More Than Words® Program fulfills the key criteria (including how to teach and coach adults effectively) for successfully involving parents in their child’s early language intervention.

Weitzman, E. (2013) More Than Words—The Hanen Program for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Teaching Model for Parent-implemented Language Intervention. Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, 20, 86-95.

Read more about the More Than Words Program and what parents say about it here.

August 13, 2013

Hanen Member Interest Group in Melbourne

Hanen members meet up in Melbourne with Australasian representative Cindy Smith to discus current issues and share their stories. Come join us if you’re close by!

When: Thursday Aug. 15 2013, 3 - 5 p.m.
Where: The Board Room, Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Melbourne, 550 Swanston St, Carlton 3053.

August 1, 2013

More Hanen e-Seminars now available on Demand!

We’ve just made most of our online training series available On Demand, so you can watch them at a time and a pace that works for you. Gain unlimited 30-day access to a variety of great topics and earn professional development hours from the comfort of your home or office!

Browse member topics
Browse non-member topics

 

 

At Temple Beth Shalom, educators use strategies from ABC and Beyond to engage their students through careful conversation
At a private preschool in Needham, MA, a group of educators have been using the Hanen guidebooks ABC and Beyond™ and I’m Ready!™ to connect the home and the classroom in new and powerful ways. Hanen Happenings recently had a chance to sit down with Ellen Dietrick, Director of Early Childhood Learning at Temple Beth Shalom, to talk about their exciting early literacy initiatives and how they’ve successfully involved parents in their children’s learning.
 

Share This Page 

 

 


Follow TheHanenCentre on Twitter

Follow TheHanenCentre on Twitter