More Than Words is a Hanen program that gives parents/caregivers of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and related social communication difficulties, practical tools to help their children communicate. The program’s philosophy is that because parents are the most important people in a child’s life, they are the best people to help the child learn to communicate.
The program derives its theoretical basis from the same social interactionist perspective as It Takes Two to Talk, (see above). The context for learning is the child’s everyday routines and activities. In addition, More Than Words incorporates current best practice guidelines, highlighting the importance of affect, predictability, structure and
Program Components:
Parent/Caregivers learn:
The Program is organized around four major goals:
Your child will learn to communicate when he or she:
More Than Words also recognizes the unique needs of children with autism spectrum disorder and also helps parents understand their child’s sensory preferences and sensitivities so these can be accommodated during everyday interactions. Most important of all, More Than Words helps builds positive interactions between parent and child, reducing frustration for both and increasing the child’s opportunities to learn to communicate in real life situations.
This program is most effective as the first step in intervention for a child with ASD. While it is compatible with other treatments, the program is intense and requires commitment from parents. That is why it is recommended that parents take More Than Words when their family isn’t involved in other treatments. Parents, however, who are involved in treatments like Applied Behaviour Analysis are encouraged to share this information with the Hanen Certified Speech-Language Pathologist/Therapist leading the group, so that she can integrate what the child is learning in other situations into the personalized video feedback sessions conducted during the program.
