HANEN PROGRAMS

The Hanen Program for Parents at PAL is a training program that provides family-focused early language intervention. Developed in Canada in 1974, it is now widely used by speech-language pathologists in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands and Israel. The research on the efficacy of the Hanen Program has demonstrated that when parents receive training in how to facilitate their child's language learning, they are able to apply the skills they learn to their interactions with their child. As a result, the child's social and language skills improve. The Hanen Program is based on the philosophy that language is best learned in a natural environment with families who are well trained in how to best stimulate and enhance communication in their communicatively impaired children.

WHAT CHILDREN ARE HELPED BY THE HANEN PROGRAM?

Target populations to be served by the Hanen Program are those diagnosed with a wide range of developmental disabilities, including specific language impairment, cognitive delay, autism spectrum disorders, sensorimotor delay/disability, hearing loss, and craniofacial anomalies. Also appropriate are children at the extreme ends of the disability continuum, children with mild or severe impairments for whom a center-based program is not necessary, inappropriate, or prohibitive due to behavioral, physical, or transportation limitations.

HOW DOES THE HANEN PROGRAM HELP?

The Hanen Program utilizes experiential adult education methods to teach family members how to become competent language interventionists. Hanen-trained and certified speech-language pathologists at PAL lead a series of eight evening group sessions that provide parents with necessary information about language development and the strategies that promote the child's interaction and language learning. Parents practice these strategies both during the group training sessions and during home-based visits from the speech-language pathologist. These visits involve videotaping of parent-child interactions. Parents view and discuss videotaped interactions with the Speech and Language Pathologist, who comments on their use of intervention strategies in daily routines and play.

By teaching the parents and primary caregivers how to facilitate language, natural opportunities for consistent and appropriate stimulation can be exploited. Proper training helps the parents to "tune in" to their child's communicative attempts, strengthens and expands the relationship between the parent and child, and empowers the parent with the knowledge that they are taking a proactive role in their child's development. Skills learned with one child may be applicable to other siblings in the family if similar situations arise. Without diminishing parental authority, the Hanen training process builds parental competence and confidence, because parents have the greatest influence over the child's natural environment. Perhaps most important, parents possess the greatest potential for generating behavioral changes. The use of parents as language facilitators makes it easier for children to actually use the newly acquired language behaviors since they do not have to go through the process of transferring or generalizing what they have learned in individual language therapy to their home.

HANEN GROUP PROGRAMS

It Takes Two to Talk, The Hanen Program for parents of children with language delays
Target Word, The Hanen Program for parents of children who are late talkers
More Than Words, The Hanen Program for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder The Hanen Centre 1075 Bay Street, Suite 403Toronto, Onatrio Canada M58 2B1 Website: www.hanen.org

HOME BASED SPEECH THERAPY

PAL has speech-language pathology teams working throughout the tri-county area treating children and adults in their homes, private schools and or child care settings. This is especially beneficial for the younger children who are more comfortable in their own environment. Working in the natural setting of a home also affords greater interaction with the family and caregivers and facilitates carryover. In-home care benefits families whose children are medically fragile as well as those with limited means of transportation.

FEEDING AND SWALLOWING

Warning Signs indicating the need for a feeding/swallowing evaluation
The following is a brief list compiled with the most common symptoms. These may include but may not be limited to:

Have slow feedings characterized by mealtimes typically longer than 30-40 minutes?
Change in feeding patterns or new problems with feeding?
Have breathing interruptions or stoppage during feeding?
Get "Gurgly or wet" vocal quality before and after swallows?
Have abnormal suck-swallow-breathe synchrony?
Have increased oral loss during breast or bottle feeding?
Have significant drooling or oral weakness?
Have a history of recurrent pneumonia?
Have irritability or behavior problems during meals?
Have unexplained food refusal with any consistency?
Have episodes of gagging, coughing, or choking during mealtimes?
Have sleepiness during feedings?
Have maladaptive or disruptive behaviors at mealtime
Have failure to gain weight over 2-3 months?
Have a diagnosis of a disorder associated with feeding and swallowing difficulties?
Have issues related to growth and specifically, failure to thrive or failure to consume adequate nutrition?

AGE APPROPRIATE FEEDING BEHAVIORS

Spoon feeding by 9 months
Chewing table food by 18 months
Cup drinking by 24 months

We take a supportive, comprehensive approach that not only incorporates the infant or child's medical and developmental needs, but also addresses behavioral and oral-motor feeding issues as well as family education and training. During the evaluation process, screening to determine additional assistance needed to support overall developmental progress will be conducted. Medically fragile infants and children often face issues related to sensory integration as well as development of gross and fine motor skills. If needs are identified, appropriate referrals for services will be made. Additional therapies such as speech and occupational therapy may be recommended when necessary for the child's overall developmental progress.