Program Information

It Takes Two to Talk® - The Hanen Program for Parents

It Takes Two to Talk is a well-known, evidence-based program for parents of children with language delays. The program’s philosophy is that because parents are the most important people in a child’s life, they are the best people to help the child learn to communicate.

It Takes Two to Talk is recommended for parents of children with a range of communication abilities, from those who are not yet communicating or are communicating non-verbally (with gestures and sounds, for example) to those who are starting to use single words and to combine two or three words together.  NOTE: If your child is developing typically in all areas except language, please read more about Target Word® - The Hanen Program for Late Talkers

Program Features:

• Delivered by a Hanen Certified speech language pathologist/therapist who has received specialized training at a Hanen certification workshop
• Offered to groups of parents
• Three major components:
  • A pre-program assessment and baseline videotaping of parent-child interaction
  • A minimum of 16 hours (six to eight sessions) of group training for parents: and
  • Three individual video feedback sessions for each parent attending the program (parent-child interaction is videotaped and reviewed with the SLP)

What Parents Learn

In a group of about eight families, parents learn how to create and take advantage of everyday opportunities to promote their child’s language development. Parents learn a number of practical strategies to foster their child’s communication and language development.  These strategies include how to:

• become more sensitive to their child’s communication by Observing, Waiting, And Listening
• follow the child’s lead and respond in ways that promote interaction and communication and establish a foundation for early conversations
• balance questions and comments (and avoid asking too many questions that test the child)
• use routines to help the child take turns
• use language in ways that improve the child’s ability to understand and express him or herself (Label, Repeat, Expand on what the child says, Extend the Topic)
• play with toys, use books and music as opportunities to enhance communication

The programs combine group sessions with individual consultation and feedback with the Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist.  This way, the program offers a very individualized and personalized approach to meet the needs of each particular child and family in the program.  Since Hanen Programs take place over a period of time, parents also gain valuable support from the other parents in the group, often forming relationships that continue long after the program is completed.

For information on finding a Hanen certified SLP/T trained to run the It Takes Two to Talk Parent Program, click here