Hanen Center CEUs {review & giveaway}

I was introduced to the Hanen Centre during graduate school. During a time when we were being introduced to many different methodologies, The Hanen Approach, really stuck out to me. The Ontario, Canada based program features training programs for SLPs. Their approach focuses on training the parent in a variety of techniques for language delayed children.



This is the home page from the session!


I won't give you a huge lesson on all their programs but here is a blurb from the Hanen Website.

The Hanen Centre is a not-for-profit charitable organization with a difference. We are a social entrepreneur, operating our business for a clear social purpose – to enable young children to develop the best possible language and literacy skills. Founded in 1975 by Ayala Hanen Manolson, a speech-language pathologist who saw the potential of involving parents in their child’s early language intervention, The Hanen Centre is dedicated to addressing a pressing social problem – delays in language development in young children, including children with developmental delays and autism.

 A language delay has a significant impact on the child, his family and society as a whole. Language delay is the most common developmental disorder and is 3-4 times more common in boys than in girls. Approximately 5-8% of preschool children experience a delay in their language development that continues into adulthood, highlighting the fact that many children don't "grow out of it" as is commonly thought. Language delay can affect academic performance and achievement, social relationships, can cause behaviour problems and make it more difficult for adults to find employment.

Knowing that the window of opportunity is greatest when children are very young, we must harness the commitment of parents and professionals to give children the chance to develop the language they need to succeed socially and academically.

 Not content to accomplish this on a small, local scale, The Hanen Centre has developed a business model, which is designed to help us achieve our social goal in many parts of the world. The sales of our train-the-trainer workshops, educational resources and membership dues enable us to support our operations, as well as our research and development.

While I completed my graduate school internships, one of my supervisors was a Hanen trained SLP. She used It Takes Two to Talk and More than Words during our treatment and I learned a lot about treating toddlers and young children with language delays. 

Maybe you're like me and you've been exposed to the program or you've had access to the materials but not able to attend the full training sessions. The people over at Hanen contacted me and asked if I wanted to check out one of their online e-Seminars. I told them I'd love to review this professional development opportunity. The opinions here are mine and based on my recent experience! 

The e-seminars are available in two formats. Live seminars are watched in real-time and allow you to interact with the presenter. On Demand workshops are not interactive, but you can still watch all the questions and polls as they happened during the presentation. I chose the do the On Demand option just because it was easier to fit into my schedule! So let's look at what CEU's are available:

-Making Book Reading a Time for Interaction and Conversation

-Coaching Parents in How to Play

-Make Words Sparkle for Preschoolers and Kindergarten Children: Bring Vocabulary to Life During Book Reading and Daily Interactions

-Starting Early: Red Flags and Treatment Tips for Toddlers on the Autism Spectrum


I selected to try the Starting Early: Red Flags and Treatment Tips for Toddlers on the Autism Spectrum. The course would typically cost $85 dollars. The course was 2 hours in length and was registered with ASHA for CEU credits.

The learning targets included:

-Describe the implications of early identification of autism spectrum disorder for the provision of early language intervention to this group of children and their families.
-Describe typical early social communication development in toddlers
-Identify early red flags which place children at risk for autism spectrum disorder
-Select appropriate intervention goals for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder
-Describe specific interaction strategies from the More Than Words® Program that can be taught to parents in order to facilitate their child’s achievement of intervention goals


The seminar is available to watch with an internet connection.






When you're done you can easily submit your information for the CE registry. Once you register for a course you have open access to it for 30 days. Perfect for when 'life' gets in the way of your plans!


Pros: When I'm attending CEU courses one of the post important things to me is practicality. This is exactly the type of CEU course I look for. It gave typical development background, red flags for delays, specific intervention strategies, demonstrated interventions through video and all items cited research. During this session I was able to take specific notes on strategies for implementing with toddlers and their parents immediately in therapy next week. These included tips for foundational social communication enjoyment, joint attention, gestures, imitating and more. I also really loved the real-life videos demonstrating the skills. This might be a perfect course for those who suddenly end up with toddler on their caseload after not working with the young ones for a while!


Cons: The cost of $85 is pretty high for those self-funded SLPs. If you're able, use the group rate!

Have you attend the live workshops or done any Hanen e-seminars? What did YOU think?

Hanen wants to give one e-seminar to a professional who works with early intervention. Please only enter if you're qualified to earn professional CEUs and if you work with this age of student. Enter on the rafflecopter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Superflex Curriculum {Social Thinking Review}

Are you a fighting Rock Brain today? Are you having difficulty exhibiting flexible thinking? Having trouble compromising? Making bad choices? Don't worry! Just call on your Superflex skills!

If that was all giberish to you, that's ok! Rock Brain and Superflex are characters in the Superflex Curriculum.

Michelle Garcia Winner  (MGW) is the author of the Social Thinking series. Social Thinking is a cognitive approach to social language. Rather than teaching individual social skills, MGW's program focuses on a treatment framework and curriculum for teaching social thinking. As a part of the Social Thinking Blogging Team, I've already shared a few resources with you. The Incredible Flexible You and Thinking about You, Thinking about Me have already become frequently used resources in my speech rooms.



Many of you responded to the Thinking about You, Thinking about Me post and commented that you were using MGW's framework and theory for treatment. When moving from theory and planning to treatment, MGW has plenty of materials.

For my early elementary students I start with the Social Detective comic book. I've had this book for several years and used it with children with Autism and ADHD. When moving past the primary grades, MGW and Stephanie Madrigal, MS, CCC-SLP, have developed the Superflex: A Superhero Social Thinking Curriculum.

The Superflex Curriculum includes 13 different lessons, with specific skills and lessons for each part. The purpose (as outlined in the book) of the Superhero Social Thinking (SST) curriculum is to provide  the social-thinking educator, teacher or parent with a fun, motivating, and non-threatening way for our students to explore social thinking while increase their knowledge of social expectations, their awareness of their own behavior and how to modify their behaviors with Superflexible strategies.

Superflex is the social hero! He uses a flexible brain and skills to outsmart the Team of Unthinkables! The Unthinkables are full of powers that sometimes come over our brains. We have to do our best to avoid Rock Brain by using our Superflex Strategies.

Glass Man is one of the Unthinkables. He lets a person be flexible to some extent, but then, all of a sudden he just breaks. He doesn't melt down slowly, he quickly starts getting very upset. Glass Man usually thinks things aren't "fair". Space Invader is a character makes the person's body move into other people's personal space, not realizing how uncomfortable this makes others feel. The group of Unthinkables can be added to in order to meet your own students' needs.

There is also a comic book that accompanies the program. Here are a few screen shots from the comic book.

So let's walk through what a lesson looks like. This is a peek at Lesson #2

The lesson lays out the materials, vocabulary and activities. This activity focuses on the role of the brain. Students make a gelatin mold of the brain. This lesson is a great time to talk about using the brain for 'knowing' 'seeing' and 'understanding' in addition to its motor control of our bodies! 

Source: In Spontaneous Speech

The lesson asks student to make a gelatin mold and insert pieces of paper with examples of brain functions (breathe, move legs, make good choices, etc.) The lesson focuses on undertand the power of brain and explore flexible thinking. I borrowed this photo from In Spontaneous Speech, who has a post about making the flexible brain with her group! I can't wait to make it with my Social Group this year! 

A handout is included for each lesson. 

There is also a homework page included for each lesson. 

Pros: I love that the curriculum is very specific. It lays the framework for instruction, but also lets the teachers/SLPs add to the program and personalize it for each student. I am already dreaming up more Unthinkables for my specific students. 

Cons: While the lessons are detailed, they do require carryover from parents and teachers to be fully implemented. This vocabulary will need to be used throughout the child's life. I wish the program had more carryover pieces. This could include strategy cards for teachers carryover strategies. 

The Superflex program is available at the Social Thinking website or on Amazon.

Luckily I'm not the only one using Superflex. Here are just a few resources I found when I searched this afternoon.

Pinterest Page Mary Keiger (check out all her boards that related to social skills)
Jello Brain Example by In Spontaneous Speech
Jello Brain Example by Adventures Outside the Box
Daira's Pinterest Page
Patti's Pinterest Page.
Angela's website has a lot of social lessons (my favorite is Superflex 'headbanz" game adaptation)

Thinking About You, Thinking About Me {Social Thinking Review}

If you're a Speech-Language Pathologist I hope the words 'Social Thinking' aren't new to you. 

Michelle Garcia Winner is one of those rockstars in our field that I'd love to sit and chat with!  For years, I've been borrowing all the books I could get my hands on that deal with social skills from other SLPs. Earlier in 2013 I joined the Social Thinking Blogging Team, giving me the opportunity to check out their products and review them for you! I loved the Incredible Flexible You Program and have been slowly reading one of the foundational books in Winner's library: Thinking about You, Thinking about Me. I was provided with a copy of this program for review. These thoughts and opinions are all mine. 

So...let's talk about what this book features and if it's right for you. This book is right for.... everyone. It's perfect for new SLPs, SLPs who haven't been practicing a lot of social instruction, SLPs who feel like they need to brush up on the latest EBP for social language instruction. 

Winner outlines a foundation for her point of view on social cognitive deficits and their assessment and treatment. The book focuses on the four steps of communication outlined by Winner. These include perspective taking, establishing physical presence, thinking with your eyes, and 

using language to develop and sustain relationships. In each of these sections Winner provides background and theory. She then provides ways to teach the skills, treatment ideas (many in each section!) and suggested goals. 

For bright children with high-level language skills, Winner suggests cognitive behavioral approach to behavior. Meaning the child is instructed to think about the behaviors. This is different than a Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approach that is often more appropriate with lower functioning clients. Winner has created an approach called Social Behavior Mapping (SBM) as a tool to teach more abstract concepts. Templates and visuals for this section are included. SBM includes some buzz words that you've likely heard, such as 'expected/unexpected behaviors'. The big idea for SBMs is pairing visuals and concrete materials so that clients can identify how actions impact self and others.

Other included activities includes: 

-The 'Me' Binder (helping students understand their IEP, goals, and service providers)

-Understanding the Social Thinking Assessment Protocol

-Standards Assessments: Comments & Critiques

-Winner includes a sample report and template to help SLPs incorporate standardized assessment with clinical frameworks to describe a students social skill deficits. 

Ready for a picture montage? Here are some snippets and favorites: 

Each chapter includes ideas of treatment.

Several of the activities feature handouts. 

I loved looking at the goal lists for each skill. 

Pros: Winner includes theory, relevant research, intervention activities and suggested goals for a social cognitive approach to social development. This program is practical in it's suggestions. I love the real life clinical examples provided in each section. Multiple times in the book, I found myself wishing I had read this program 3 years ago, as my experiences matched those examples in the book. I highly recommend this book. If you're looking for a reference that includes practical ideas that are research based you've found it in Thinking about You, Thinking about Me. 

Cons: This books has a ton of ideas that develop the foundation for Winner's other programs. The only con you might find it that if you haven't purchased other programs, you're going to be busy developing new materials to match her program. The book is heavy on theory and activity ideas, but light on actual activities to print/go. Look to her other programs for those products. The other difficulty of this program is its scope of practice. SLPs will find they need to use another program for the lower end of their caseload. While social thinking applies to children with average to above average language skills, tt likely won't meet all the needs for your social skills caseload. 

The book can be purchased for $48 dollars on the Social Thinking website. It's a bargain for all the information included. If you work on social skills, run, don't walk, to add it to your library. 

Have you used this book before? Are there other Social Thinking books you can't live without?

ARtIC Lab {product review}

ARtIC Lab is a bilingual Response to Intervention (RtI) program for Articulation. The ARtIC LAB is developed for elementary aged students who are demonstrating mild articulation deficits.  

The program is meant to be used for sound placement instruction, intensive drill work, and sound generalization before referral for speech and language services. That's an ideal situation.. the 'before referral'. In my school program I used it after referral and screening completed by the SLP for student who demonstrated a mild deficit, where I did not suspect a disability requiring a full evaluation.  Over this year I had about 10 different kids in a tier 2, pull out group for RtI instruction. The ARtIC Lab was perfect for this group of kids. It would also work well for SLPs with enough room to run 'stations' in your room. 

The contents:

- 5 Echo Microphones

- 5 Webber Phones

- 10 Homework Folders

- 10 Practice Pages Folders

- Electronic Spinner 

- 5 Tally Counters

- Chart

- CD with form and probes

- Resource guide with forms and probes

- English stimulus easel

- Spanish stimulus easel 

The program targets Errors on R, L, S, SH, CH. In Spanish it targets R, S, CH. The program is developed to be 20 hours long. It was field tested in Texas. During the testing most of the children made enough progress that they did not require referrals to intervention. In years past I have completed RtI intervention with children each year. During my experience usually on a couple of those student go on to require continued services. I used the activities in the ARtIC Lab to support that intervention strategy used in my building. All activities were age appropriate and supported by intervention strategies.

Why on earth do the kids go NUTS for this electronic spinner?!

We sat on the floor and the table to break into two groups during most of our time together. The variety of activities helped. The activities provide up to 5 learning stations depending on the number of students (3 kids, 3 stations). Since my groups were big and my room was small I had two stations each day and the kids worked in pairs. One student completed their work while the other student monitored their productions. The different stations include: listening, gross motor, emotion, building, game, writing, and SLP monitoring station. 

The kit contains test probes for each targeted sound, creating easy to track baseline data. 

Pros: The program is great for those SLPs who are new and don't have closets full of echo mic's, whisper phones and tons of worksheets for each sound. It's great for any SLP who wants to open the box and get going with the RtI! My friend and I always say we will pay for convenience! This program does that!   The bilingual option is helpful for many I'm sure, just not me particularly! 

Cons: The program doesn't have too many 'new' materials that most seasoned SLPs don't already have in their closets! With the price near $200 seasoned SLPs might find it frustrating to open a box to have similar items already found in their rooms. Most of my students still need direct intervention weekly on production and placement. I felt the program assumed that children are able to generalize and acquire sounds on their own. In actuality, I parked myself at one of the stations to work on accuracy EVERY session instead of just at the monitoring station

ARtIC Lab is available for purchase for $199.00 on the Super Duper Website. 

Have you tried this product? DO you use a center approach to therapy?

Speech Corner Reviews

The Speech Corner is a materials company for Speech Language Pathologists. If you’ve been to a state conference lately you’ve probably seen their booth filled with ‘Dot’ and ‘Double Dice’ products. When Rachel reached out and asked if I would like to review some of their products I said a quick ‘yes’! I already have a stack of the ‘Dot’ series on my desk, so I knew their other products would be interesting too!

My box arrived full of Double Dice products. Double Dice products center on the use of a special die that includes a larger plastic 12-sided die with shapes. Inside that outer shell is a numbered 12-sided die. The activities throughout the workbooks and card decks center around this unique dice set. In most game instances of play the child rolls the die and determines which shape is on the outside. They can then use the number inside to determine how many repetitions of that skill to practice.

I was sent a copy of the /l/ and /l/ blends workbook. Here is what is included in the workbook:

·       Reproducible worksheets targeting one, two, and three syllable /l/ words in the initial, medial, and final positions at the word, phrase, sentence, and carry-over levels. It also addresses initial /bl/, /fl/, /gl/, /kl/, /pl/, /sl/, mixed clusters, and challenging ”rl” at the word, phrase, sentence, and carry-over levels.

·       Contains a guidelines for play page, a game variations/suggestions page, certificates, tracking chart, and blank master pages.

·       Includes a unique large twelve sided double dice.

I also tested out some of the card decks that accompany the double dice. My favorite was the inferences deck. Play by spreading out the 9 different shape cards the table. Roll the double dice and determine which shape to uncover. Then listen to the social story and answer the corresponding question.

Pros: As you can see in the picture above the biggest asset to this set is the ability to use it in mixed groups. Each student can work on their own goals using the common tool (the dice). The kids loved it and it was really entertaining but not so entertaining that we didn't get work done! ((It's a fine line you know!))

Cons: I wish there was an articulation book that covered all sounds. It would make it much easier to be prepared for all the kids on my caseload. To cover all my current caseload I would have to purchase about 7 more books! 

The products in this review were provided, although no other compensation was provided. The opinions are solely mine. 

Vocabulary Chipper Chat {product review}

If you’ve read my other Chipper Chat Reviews forArticulation, you know I’m a HUGE fan of this therapy tool. It’s the perfect group activity for preschoolers to middle schoolers. Chipper Chat has never let me down!

Super Duper Inc.’s newest addition to the collection is Vocabulary Chipper Chat. It’s Core Curriculum aligned and full of language activities. This one made me giddy! I love that it works on so many foundations skills of vocabulary. My IEP goals are written SO similarly to these skills that it made data collection super easy. 

Included in the game:

12 different game board designs with 5 copies for each board

360 vocabulary cards

2 foam dice

Magnet wand (THE BEST PART, DUH!)

100 magnetic chips

I have all kinds of mixed groups (I know you can relate!) so I used the included language cards a couple different ways. One girl was using sentences strips with the compare/contrast cards. The other students used the pictures on the back of another set of task cards to work on sentence level fluency. My last group member used another set of the cards to target articulation carryover.

The included vocabulary card target the following skills:

analogies, associations, attributes, categories, compare/contrast, context clues, figurative language, function, homonyms, homophones, synonyms/antonyms, and verbs.

Pros: The included cards are quite diverse in difficulty. I have been able to use this set with Kindergarteners and 4^th graders in back to back groups. I love an activity I can use all day with diverse groups!

Cons: $65 might eat up a lot of your yearly budget (if you get one at all!) I wish the game always game with two magnet wands. 

 You can find the product on Super Duper's Website for $64.99. 

Disclosure Statement: This item was provided to SRN to complete a review. The opinions expressed are only the authors.