The Hanen Centre
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The Hanen Centre is a not-for-profit registered charitable organization, based in Toronto, Canada. It defines its mission as, “providing the important people in a child’s life with the knowledge and training they need to help the child develop the best possible language, social and literacy skills”.
Overview
The organization’s primary focus is on developing and disseminating parent and caregiver training programs to provide early language intervention for children with language delays. The organization creates and distributes resources such as guidebooks and DVDs for parents, caregivers and professionals, as well as offering workshops worldwide for Speech-Language Pathologists on the implementation of this approach to early language intervention. The Hanen Centre was founded in 1975 by Ayala Hanen Manolson, a
Operations
The Hanen Centre currently operates six programs designed for a variety of language and communicative disorders, along with numerous workshops and supporting resources. Programs are designed for children who have, or are at risk for
Aside from their programs, Hanen designs and distributes research-based resources to practicing Speech-Language Pathologists, Early Childhood Educators, Parents, Medical Professionals, Daycares, Nursery Schools and numerous other organizations and professionals who frequently work with young children. Such resources include books, DVDs and a variety of other supporting resources. While primarily published in English, Hanen resources have been translated into French, Spanish, Cantonese and Dutch, and have also been adapted for Native American/First Nations communities.
Philosophy
Hanen programs are largely based on the social interactionist model of language acquisition and, as such, emphasize an interactive approach to language intervention. Numerous studies in the field of language acquisition and communicative disorders have suggested that children learn best from their parents, in a naturalistic and familiar environment.[1][2] As a result, Hanen programs instruct parents to be effective language facilitators, making use of everyday situations to encourage emergent literacy and language development in young children, rather than confining language intervention to clinical sessions. As such, the child is provided with an enriched language learning environment which constantly engages them, and provides the child with multiple opportunities to hear and learn language. Given this approach, language and literacy intervention take place constantly, while simultaneously strengthening the bond between parent and child.
References
- ^ Tannock, R., Girolametto, L. & Siegel, L. (1992). Language intervention with children who have developmental delays: Effects of an interactive approach. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 97, 145-160.
- ^ Prizant, B.M. & Wetherby, A.M. (1998). Understanding the continuum of discrete-trial traditional behavioral to social-pragmatic, developmental approaches in communication enhancement for young children with ASD. Seminars in Speech and Language, 19, 329-353.
External links
- The Hanen Centre Website
- The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Website
- The Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) Website
- The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) Website
- The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Website
- Developmental Milestones for Communication and Language Development in Children
- What Parents need to know about Language Delay