M.A. in Education

No more pencils, no more books, and no more teacher's dirty looks!!! I have successfully completed my coursework and thesis for a Master's Degree in Education with an emphasis on exceptional education. My first Master's Degree is in Speech and Language Pathology. Thank you to all of my friends, family, and colleagues that supported me throughout the tedious research process.

My thesis proposal?...The Merit of Parent Education as a Model/Method of Early Intervention: Should Insurance Pay For It? In 8 weeks of parent program I always see children make improvements which I can attribute directly to the parent since I have minimal interaction with their children. I argue that if parents educate themselves and take a primary role as "interventionist" then their children will need less treatment in the long run, which would save secondary paysources money overall (can't prove this without longitudinal study, but it makes sense)...and if parents are the primary "interventionist" then don't we all think insurance should pay for that training?

Right now there are very few secondary paysources that will pay for parent education. This is due to a semantic debate over who is recieving the service...the child or the parent. Whose insurance is being billed...the child's or the parent's. This is just silly since the child is insured under the parent...but secondary paysources also don't consider parent education as medically necessary. *Sigh...someday we'll get everyone on the same page. This is why I try to make the Hanen Programs for Parents a very affordable supplement or alternative to traditional therapies...at least for 8 week increments...

Thanks again to everyone who stuck by me during the most stressed out years of my life (2008-2010). You've seen me through the end of a marriage, the loss of a parent, the opening of my home-based clinic, and the gaining of a second degree!

Hanen Program Testimonial

"Since we started this process with our son a year ago, I have been wondering where to go to learn how to help our son develop and move ahead at home. Finally, I found it! The Hanen course More Than Words has been exactly what I've been looking for. Finally I'm being equipped to help my son. Now I know how to challenge him to communicate, engage, play, and deepen his social interactions in the middle of every day life. The course is so practical, with multiple examples of how to apply these principles and techniques in every area: verbal communication, play, reading books, using visual aids, etc. Already we are giving Jack more reasons to communicate - and he is using more words, imitating more often and starting to put 2 and 3 words together - in just a few weeks time. Thank you so much for all your help!"

- C.K. Hanen Program Parent

Update

Hello Hanen community!

The current More Than Words program is at mid-term! All families are doing so well...thanks for attending so consistently. :) We've discussed and implemented the following communication strategies:

Follow your child's lead
Observe, wait, and listen (OWL)
The Four I's-Intrude, imitate, interpret, include (your child's interest)
R.O.C.K.-Repeat, offer opportunity, cue, keep it fun
The Four S's-Say less, stress, go slow, show

Our video feedback sessions have also been very successful. After session 5 we will have learned all the strategies and will use the rest of the program to practice implementation of the strategies and brainstorm functional activities to do at home. Keep up the great work, Families! :)