For the City Times

STEVENS POINT – Parents of children up to age five with language delays have a new opportunity for improving communication strategies and gaining support in a small, personalized group setting at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

The “It Takes Two to Talk” program for parents is offered through UW-Stevens Point’s Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic. The program uses the Hanen Program to help parents identify a child’s stage and style of communication and become a child’s most important language teacher.

Parents learn practical strategies to help their children learn language naturally throughout the day, identify what motivates children to interact through conversation and adjust everyday routines to help children take turns and keep interactions going. Parents also benefit through connecting with other parents in similar situations.

The program includes eight two-hour small group sessions led by a Hanen-certified speech-language pathologist plus three individual sessions with parent(s), child and speech-language pathologist to provide family-specific practice of learned skills.

A free information session will be held Sept. 26, 5-6:30 p.m., in the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic in the College of Professional Studies Building, 1901 Fourth Ave., Stevens Point.

Regular sessions will be held on Thursdays Oct. 10-Dec. 12, 5-7 p.m.

To register or for more information, visit uwsp.edu/csd/Pages/CommunityOutreach/clinic/HanenProgram.aspx or contact Pamela at [email protected] or 715-346-3423.