“Sarah” was a 3 year old with delayed language skills who attended weekly speech therapy sessions. Sarah’s mum sat in on her sessions so that she could carry over therapy activities at home. Her mum commented that because a typical day in her house was very busy with all of her children, she was concerned that she would not get time to practice Sarah’s speech therapy activities. Sarah’s mum then attended the Hanen Program ‘It Takes Two to Talk’, which is for parents of children who have a language delay. It aims to teach parents various strategies designed to be used in everyday situations such as dinner time, bath time, bed time etc. This ensures a natural environment for a child to learn and progress.
The parents learn about which stage of communication their child is at and how to change their own language to suit their child’s needs. They also learn how to recognize a child’s various attempts at communication and how to respond effectively to these attempts. Sarah’s mum commented that she did not realize how often her daughter was trying to communicate with her each day. Even though Sarah was not speaking, she frequently communicated non-verbally through pointing or taking her mum’s hand to show her something. When her mum recognized all of Sarah’s attempts to communicate, she was able to use specific strategies to model language and thus stimulate language development. As the strategies became part of their daily routine, Sarah’s mum commented that she didn’t feel like they had to practice the speech therapy activities as they became a natural way to communicate. With continued input, Sarah gradually began using words to communicate. The strategies were very effective in developing Sarah’s language and had a positive impact on her overall communication.
The It Takes Two to Talk Program teaches parents, step-by-step, how to become your child’s most important language teacher.
Written by: Leah Karacinski, Senior Speech & Language Therapist
Leah Karacinski is an Irish Speech and Language Therapist, who has lived in Dubai for over seven years. Her primary focus has been working with children with a wide range of communication difficulties in schools and clinical settings. Leah is skilled in administering a variety of assessment tools and implementing a range of treatment approaches. She also keeps up to date with current research and best practice guidelines.
