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MidCounty Programs

Services for children Birth to Three are based on the needs, concerns, priorities, and outcomes identified on the Individual Family Service Plan. In addition to providing individual services in the child's home and/or child care setting, it may be appropriate to provide a group session to achieve specific outcomes. To learn more click on the appropriate program below:

  • Hanen Programs - promote language development
  • Building Bridges - explore community resources and activities
  • Sprouts - an environment for children to expand their social skills
  • Transition - a transition to a structured preschool environment
  • Sunshine Kids - for chidren with social and communication difficulties
  • Kids at Play - strategies to faciltate communication in children
  • Baby Bear - toddlers learn to be successful in preschool
  • Big Bear - older children learn to be successful in preschool

 Hanen Programs

In our Hanen Programs, groups of parents learn how to create and take advantage of everyday opportunities to promote language development so that language learning becomes an ongoing, enjoyable and natural part of a child's life. Four Hanen Programs are currently offered by Speech-Language Pathologists who have been trained and certified through The Hanen Centre. The four different programs are: You & Your Baby: Building Communication - Hanen Early Language Parent Program; It Takes Two to Talk™ - The Hanen Program ® for Parents; Target Word ® - The Hanen Program ® for Parents of Children who are Late Talkers; and More than Words™ - The Hanen Program ® for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

You and Your Baby: Building Communication – The Hanen Early Language Parent Program

Did you know that your baby is already communicating with you? Learn how your preemie/baby sends you messages. Through interactions with your baby, you can strengthen and build on those early communication skills. Class or home program available over a 4-week period. Babies welcome in classes.

It Takes Two to Talk™ - The Hanen Program® for Parents

A Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist leads a small group of parents through the It Takes Two to Talk™ Program, which typically runs one evening per week over 11 weeks (except for the weeks when individual videotaping and feedback take place).  This family-focused program for parents of children who are delayed in their language development is recommended for parents with children with a range of communication abilities. It is suitable for parents of children who are not yet communicating or are communicating non-verbally - with gestures and sounds, for example - and extends to those who are beginning to use single words and/or two and three word combinations.

Target Word ® - The Hanen Program ® for Parents of Children who are Late Talkers

A Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist leads a small group of parents through the Target Word® Program. It typically includes an orientation session, four group sessions and three individual consultations with video feedback.  This program is spread out over a 10- to 12-week period so that there are several breaks between sessions.  Target Word ® is designed for parents who have children formally identified as late talkers.

More Than Words™ - The Hanen Program ® for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

A Hanen Certified speech-language pathologist leads a small group of parents through the More Than Words™ Program, which typically runs one evening per week over 11 weeks (except for the weeks when individual videotaping and feedback take place).  This unparalleled program gives parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) practical tools to help their children learn to communicate.

More Than Words™ is helpful for any child under the age of six who is experiencing difficulties in social interaction and communication. Young children who show symptoms of ASD but do not have an ASD diagnosis have been shown to benefit from the same kind of early intervention as those with the diagnosis.

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 Building Bridges

Building Bridges is an eight-session program to provide families from the Infants and Toddlers Program opportunities to explore community resources and activities. The program focuses on helping families learn to encourage development of their children's skills in community settings where young children are typically found. Sessions meet every other week at various community locations including toddler music programs, yoga programs, library storytimes, gymnastics/movement groups, drama groups, outings to the zoo or farm, nature centers, and visits to the Parent Resource Centers.

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 Sprouts

Sprouts is a program designed for children with developmental delays ages 24 months- 36 months. A parent or caregiver attends each session with the child. Each session provides a group environment for children to expand their social skills while participating in a variety of structured and unstructured play based activities. The session includes group play, music time, circle time, art activities, and oral motor and snack times. In addition each session includes gross motor activities and table top activities to enhance fine motor skills. Family support services are also a part of the Sprouts program.

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 Transition

The Transition Group is designed to help children prepare for the transition to a structured preschool environment. Emphasis is on understanding and use of language in both structured and social situations, attending to structured activities, and being able to choose from a variety of play materials. The children are exposed to oral motor activities followed by a snack involving a variety of foods and textures. Various sensory/motor/music experiences are integrated into the routine. In addition, children learn to transition from one activity to another with and without adult support. The parent group and information gained from observations help to determine the child's appropriateness for MCPS eligibility. While children are in a group session parents have an opportunity to observe through the one way mirror or meet with Carrie Kirby, parent educator, to discuss concerns/questions about child development, family issues, and parenting strategies.

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 Sunshine Kids

Sunshine Kids is a highly structured group setting with a strong parent-training component for children with social and communication difficulties. The group meets three times a week for 2 hours each day, with each week being based on a different theme. The main focus of this group is to promote peer interaction, help our students follow a routine, make choices, understand facial cues, and work on all areas of development: gross motor, fine motor, cognition, play and communication. The program consists of two 1:1 work sessions centered around circle time and structured & unstructured play. "Hanen: More than Words" is also incorporated into the group with a speech pathologist leading a parent group once a week during group time. Parents also meet weekly with a parent support liaison to discuss concerns in the home, transition out of the program and general developmental questions and answers.

Learn more about the structure of the class at "Why We Do What We Do"

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 Kids at Play

Kids at Play is a group that provides language enrichment, peer interactions to encourage play skills and an opportunity for parents to learn strategies to faciltate communication in their children. The group is limited to a total of eight families. It is the goal of the group to have children with different strengths and needs learn from each other in a social setting.

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 Baby Bear

Baby Bear is a program to help toddlers from the ages of 24-30 months learn to be successful in a preschool environment. The sessions provide opportunities for social interactions, language enrichment, transition and motor planning through a variety of motor and sensory activities.

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 Big Bear

Big Bear is a program designed for children from the ages of 30-36 months. It is designed to help the each child learn to be successful in a preschool environment. The sessions provide opportunities for social interactions, language enrichment, transition and motor planning through a variety of motor and sensory activities.

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 Modified February 5, 2008 | Maintained by Debbie D

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