Effects of it takes two to talk--the Hanen program for parents of preschool children with cerebral palsy: findings from an exploratory study

Purpose: To investigate whether It Takes Two to Talk--The Hanen Program for Parents of Preschool Children With Cerebral Palsy is associated with change in interaction between children who have motor disorders and their parents. Method: Eleven children aged 19-36 months who had nonprogressive motor disorders that affected their communication, and their mothers, were observed 4 months and 1 month before mothers attended It Takes Two to Talk training, and 1 month and 4 months after its completion. Results: Interaction patterns were stable prior to training. After training, mothers initiated less and produced more responses and fewer requests. Children produced more initiations, as well as more requests and provisions of information, after training. Mothers' linguistic input did not change in amount or complexity. Changes were maintained 4 months later. Mothers' views of parenting did not change. Conclusions: It Takes Two to Talk may be associated with positive communication change for this group. Further investigation of its clinical effectiveness is warranted. KEY WORDS: speech disorders, parents, treatment outcomes, cerebral palsy, children
Children with congenital motor disorders, the most common cause of which is cerebral palsy (Koman, Smith, & Shilt, 2004), often have problems acquiring and controlling movements for facial expression, gesture, [...]