The Hanen Centre
Encyclopedia
The Hanen Centre 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”.
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s, as well as those children who are developing normally. Specific programs and resources have also been designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Hanen programs for parents are administered by Speech-Language Pathologists who, upon successful completion of a training workshop, are certified to offer a particular Hanen program to families in their respective communities. Both Speech-Language Pathologists and Early Childhood Educators
are eligible to become trainers of child care providers and preschool teachers, with a view to training these providers to create enriched language learning environments for the children in their care. By employing an operational strategy in which professionals are trained in the administration of these programs and subsequently go on to provide this service locally, Hanen has created a large network of Speech-Language Pathologists – all of whom are licensed by the Hanen Centre. Currently, Hanen programs operate primarily in North America, the U.K and Australia, with limited operations outside those regions.
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.
and communicative disorders
have suggested that children learn best from their parents, in a naturalistic and familiar environment. 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.
Overview
The Hanen Centre is a not-for-profit registered charitable organization, based in Toronto, Canada. The organization’s primary focus is on developing and disseminating parent and caregiver training programs in order 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 Speech-Language Pathologist based in Montreal, Canada. Following the successful implementation of Manolson’s parent-oriented pilot program, It Takes Two To Talk, The Hanen Centre was awarded funding by the Ontario government to offer these programs to families in Toronto. The Hanen Centre’s programs are strongly based on the social interactionist model of language acquisition, and heavily emphasize a family-centered approach to language intervention. Ongoing research is conducted on Hanen Programs in collaboration with the graduate Department of Speech-Language Pathology at the University of TorontoUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
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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 language delayLanguage delay
Language delay is a failure to develop language abilities on the usual developmental timetable. Language delay is distinct from speech delay, in which the speech mechanism itself is the focus of delay...
s, as well as those children who are developing normally. Specific programs and resources have also been designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Hanen programs for parents are administered by Speech-Language Pathologists who, upon successful completion of a training workshop, are certified to offer a particular Hanen program to families in their respective communities. Both Speech-Language Pathologists and Early Childhood Educators
Early childhood education
Early childhood education is the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home. 'Early childhood' is usually defined as before the age of normal schooling - five years in most nations, though the U.S...
are eligible to become trainers of child care providers and preschool teachers, with a view to training these providers to create enriched language learning environments for the children in their care. By employing an operational strategy in which professionals are trained in the administration of these programs and subsequently go on to provide this service locally, Hanen has created a large network of Speech-Language Pathologists – all of whom are licensed by the Hanen Centre. Currently, Hanen programs operate primarily in North America, the U.K and Australia, with limited operations outside those regions.
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 acquisitionLanguage acquisition
Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive, produce and use words to understand and communicate. This capacity involves the picking up of diverse capacities including syntax, phonetics, and an extensive vocabulary. This language might be vocal as with...
and communicative disorders
Communication disorder
A communication disorder is a speech and language disorder which refers to problems in communication and in related areas such as oral motor function. The delays and disorders can range from simple sound substitution to the inability to understand or use language...
have suggested that children learn best from their parents, in a naturalistic and familiar environment. As a result, Hanen programs instruct parents to be effective language facilitators, making use of everyday situations to encourage emergent literacy and language development
Language development
Language development is a process starting early in human life, when a person begins to acquire language by learning it as it is spoken and by mimicry. Children's language development moves from simple to complex. Infants start without language. Yet by four months of age, babies can read lips and...
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.
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