Faculty
Health Sciences
Supervisor Name
Dr. Janis Oram Cardy and Lauren Denusik
Keywords
autism, early intervention, parent-mediated intervention, social communication, Hanen’s ‘More Than Words’, virtual service, speech-language pathology
Description
Research suggests that parent-mediated interventions for autistic children can improve their communication. The Hanen Centre’s More Than Words® Program (HMTW) is delivered by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and teaches parents strategies to support their child’s social communication and play skills. The COVID-19 pandemic required The Hanen Centre to quickly shift HMTW to a virtual model without any previous empirical research. To date, only one small study has evaluated the effectiveness of the virtual model of HMTW. Our research aimed to further investigate the virtual HMTW program, including outcomes for both parents and children. We found that children increased their communicative participation, and parents used positive interaction strategies more frequently with their child after participating in HMTW program. Our results can give confidence to families, clinicians, and organizations in committing time and resources to the virtual HMTW program. Even beyond the pandemic, virtual delivery ensures more families can access the program.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my supervisors Dr. Janis Oram Cardy and Lauren Denusik, the Western USRI program, The Hanen Centre, and to all of the families that participated in The Hanen Centre’s More Than Words® program.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Real-World Outcomes of Virtual More Than Words®: A Program for Parents of Autistic Children
Research suggests that parent-mediated interventions for autistic children can improve their communication. The Hanen Centre’s More Than Words® Program (HMTW) is delivered by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and teaches parents strategies to support their child’s social communication and play skills. The COVID-19 pandemic required The Hanen Centre to quickly shift HMTW to a virtual model without any previous empirical research. To date, only one small study has evaluated the effectiveness of the virtual model of HMTW. Our research aimed to further investigate the virtual HMTW program, including outcomes for both parents and children. We found that children increased their communicative participation, and parents used positive interaction strategies more frequently with their child after participating in HMTW program. Our results can give confidence to families, clinicians, and organizations in committing time and resources to the virtual HMTW program. Even beyond the pandemic, virtual delivery ensures more families can access the program.