If your child has a hard time connecting with others, you may be looking to help them improve their interactions, but may not know where to start. Hanen's More Than Words Program was designed specifically for parents of children on the autism spectrum and with other social communication difficulties ages 5 and under. By addressing the unique needs of these children, the program provides parents with the tools, strategies and support they need to help their children reach their full communication potential.
More Than Words was developed by expert speech-language pathologists and is grounded in extensive research. Through the More Than Words Program, you’ll discover how to use everyday activities like meal time, bath time, and story time to help your child improve their communication and social skills.
More Than Words empowers you to help your child:
- Improve their social communication and back-and-forth interactions
- Improve their play skills
- Improve their imitation skills
Studies show that children’s social-communication skills improve as a result of their parents learning to implement the More Than Words Program. Children of parents who were trained to implement these strategies demonstrated larger vocabularies; increased communication exchanges; more frequent participation in turn-taking routines; and increased social interactions (McConachie, Randle, & Le Couteur (2005); Girolametto, Weitzman, & Sussman (2007)).
Findings also suggest children showed increased development in foundational social-communication skills, including gesture development and eye contact (Carter, A., Messinger, D., Stone, W., Celimli, S., Nahmias, A., & Yoder, P. (2011).
At Thrive Speech and Language, we have the specific training and certification to provide this program for parents in a group or individual format. If you are concerned about your child's social communication skills and want to get started implementing effective tools and strategies in your home, call 630-492-1112 today for a free consultation.
References
Carter, A., Messinger, D., Stone, W., Celimli, S., Nahmias, A., & Yoder, P. (2011) A randomized controlled trial of Hanen’s “More Than Words” in toddlers with early autism. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(7), 741-752.
Girolametto, L., Sussman, F., & Weitzman, E. (2007). Using case study methods to investigate the effects of interactive intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Communication Disorders, 40, 470-492.
McConachie, H., Randle, V. & Le Couteur (2005). A controlled trial of a training course for parents of children with suspected autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Pediatrics, 147, 335-340.
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