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Hanen Programs are grounded in extensive research on the effectiveness of parent-implemented intervention – an approach where parents play a leading role in supporting their child’s communication development. 

Since 1977, we’ve led the way in creating the highest quality interventions that meet the needs of a variety of children, including those with language delays/disorders, autistic children, and children who may benefit from social communication support. We’ve also developed programs for early childhood educators, which are grounded in research on the importance of responsive interactions between educators and children, which create an enriched language learning environment. 

Why We Focus On Supporting...

Parents

Research shows that with the right support, parents can learn to use powerful language-building strategies during enjoyable, everyday interactions with their child, and that, when they do so, the child’s communication improves. The fact that parents have a close relationship with their child, as well as having ongoing, daily opportunities to interact with their child means that their impact can be exponentially greater than the impact of therapy sessions alone. 

Educators

Early childhood educators play a critical role in promoting the social, language and literacy skills that prepare young children for school success. Research shows that language-rich early learning environments, including high-quality responsive interactions with educators, can predict future academic abilities, and can have a protective effect for disadvantaged children. 

Research summaries

Browse the links below to learn more about the research-based foundations of Hanen Programs, as well as the results of all published studies on each program.  

It Takes Two to Talk®
The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children with Language Delays

This program engages and supports parents to learn how to facilitate their child’s language-learning during enjoyable everyday interactions.

More Than Words®
The Hanen Program® for Parents of Autistic Children or Children Who May Benefit from Social Communication Support

This program engages and supports parents to facilitate their child’s social and communication skills during everyday routines and enjoyable interactions.

TalkAbility™
The Hanen Program® for Parents of Autistic Children Who Are Speaking in Sentences and Having Conversations

This program engages and supports parents of autistic children (ages 4-8) to help their child have more extended conversations and form deeper connections with adults and peers.

Learning Language and Loving It™
The Hanen Program® for Early Childhood Educators

This program supports childcare providers and preschool teachers to use research-based, responsive interaction strategies during everyday routines and interactions to facilitate the social, language and literacy development of all children.

ABC and Beyond™
The Hanen Program® for Building Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Settings  

This program engages educators of preschool children (ages 3-5) to promote emergent literacy development during daily, naturalistic interactions and shared book reading. 

I’m Ready!™
The Hanen Program® for Building Emergent Literacy in the Home 

This program engages parents of preschool children (ages 3-5) to support their child’s emergent literacy development during enjoyable interactions and shared book reading. 

Ongoing Research

As a not-for-profit social enterprise, we’re committed to ensuring that our programs uphold the highest standards in parent-implemented early language intervention, as well as educator training. We continually assess the effectiveness of Hanen Programs and make ongoing improvements based on the findings, as well as on the latest research in the field. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about new developments.  

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