In the 1970s, early language intervention involved speech-language pathologists "treating" children alone in a therapy room while their parents waited outside. The idea of involving parents in the process was virtually unheard of.
But new research was coming to light about the untapped potential of parents to have a significant impact on the success of their child’s intervention. The Hanen Centre™ was one of the first organizations in the world to recognize this research and to commit to supporting parents to play a primary role in their child’s intervention.
In 1977, Ayala Hanen Manolson, an SLP in Montreal, Canada, created a program that brought together a group of parents of children with language delays. In this program, parents learned how to become their child’s best language teacher within the context of their everyday interactions and activities. The success of the program (which went on to become It Takes Two to Talk™ – The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children with Language Delays) led her to establish The Hanen Centre™ in 1977.
As the years passed, research continued to mount on the effectiveness of parent-implemented intervention. Studies even showed that parents could be equally effective, and sometimes even more effective, than SLPs in helping a child develop improved language skills. But in order for this to happen, parents needed to learn specific language-building strategies and also be able to apply those strategies consistently on their own with their child. With its unique combination of expertise in early language intervention and adult education, The Hanen Centre™ was well-positioned to create programs that addressed the specific needs of adult learners. All Hanen Programs would be grounded in best practice in adult education so that parents could learn in the best possible way to truly absorb and retain the information, and to be able to apply what they learned confidently with their child.
Led by Executive Director, Elaine Weitzman, a passionate clinical team went on to develop four more Hanen Programs, including programs for parents of autistic children and for early childhood educators. Since the inception of these programs, Hanen has consistently reviewed and updated them to ensure that they continue to be based on the most current research and best practice.
To reach as many families as possible, Hanen focused on training SLPs to lead Hanen Programs for the parents in their local communities. Training is also offered to SLPs and Early Childhood Consultants to lead Hanen Programs for early childhood educators. This multi-level approach has allowed The Hanen Centre™ to train over 25,000 professionals who have impacted the lives of millions of children and their families around the world.
In 2021, all Hanen in-person workshops were converted into online trainings, improving accessibility for professionals around the world. To date, professionals from over 80 countries have attended a Hanen workshop.