Your Child Has So Many Wonderful Strengths! Could They Also Be Struggling Socially?
Does your child has an impressive vocabulary and often surprise you with the things they say. Perhaps they learned to read early or have already reached many academic milestones ahead of their peers. At home, you see just how curious they are—always wanting to learn, explore, and understand how things work. You’re often amazed by how much they know, and most days, you don’t give much thought to your child’s development because, in so many ways, things seem to be going really well.
And yet… there are those moments.
Moments that make you pause. Something your child says or does—or perhaps something you notice when they are with other children—leaves you wondering, “Is this something I should be concerned about?”
When a child has such strong abilities in areas like language, learning, or academics, it can be easy to overlook the skills that may still be developing. A child can be bright, verbal, curious, and academically advanced while still having areas of development that need a little extra support.
These less-visible or “missing” skills can be especially important to a child’s social development—affecting how they connect with others, navigate friendships, understand social cues, communicate their thoughts and feelings, and respond flexibly in everyday interactions.
Sometimes, the strengths that make a child stand out can also make it harder to see where they may need support.
81% of children with emotional/behavioral needs have below-average language skills
How Can TalkAbility ™ Help?
TalkAbility™ is a transformative Hanen Program designed for parents of young children (ages 4-8) who have autism or face social communication challenges. Taking a child-centered approach, TalkAbility™ helps parents understand their child's strengths and identify possible missing social conversation skills. Parents also learn how to help their child understand another person's perspective as well as recognize emotions which is essential for navigating social interactions. In addition, they learn strategies for helping their child have richer conversations as well as increase their child's flexible thinking.
Parents report that one of the best parts of TalkAbility™ is the Playdate that is assigned towards the end of the program. Through this practice playdate, parents build their confidence in helping their child engage in peer play (neighbor, cousin, TalkAbility™ friend, etc.) by using the tools and strategies they've learned in the program. They also report enjoying getting to know other families on a similar journey, with some parents continuing friendships and playdates once the program has concluded.
Drawing from research, this practical 12-session program empowers parents with the tools they need to help their children develop their understanding of social situations and the different ways to navigate them.
Through a combination of presentations, group discussions, and video examples, parents will discover how to help their child:
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participate in more extended back and forth conversations (takes more conversational turns)
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understand how other people think and feel, and identify ways they could respond (perspective taking)
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understand what people say without words (reading nonverbal cues)
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explore new play ideas including expanding pretend play
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strengthen their friendship skills
Is This Program Right
for You?
Would you like to help your child:
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Create positive connections with others more easily?
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Build their confidence and skills to have longer, more meaningful conversations?
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Understand the perspective of others while helping others understand your child's perspective?
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Understand non-verbal messages (i.e., eye gaze, facial expressions, body language, etc.) and gain greater insight into the thoughts and feelings of their conversational partners.?
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Build their friendship skills?
Note: A diagnosis of autism is NOT required to participate and benefit from this program. Contact us to determine if the TalkAbility program is a good fit for you and your child.
Program Structure
TalkAbility™ draws from the research on what helps children with autism develop their understanding of social situations and the different ways to navigate them.
In this program, parents learn to use the kind of talk that is known to foster a child's ability to understand what someone else thinks or feels, also known as the development of "theory of mind".
Before We Start
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Attend the Orientation session via Zoom
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Complete a 90-minute individual Pre-Program Consultation via Zoom
Program Structure
Eight Parent Session held on Thursdays
(6-8:30 p.m) via Zoom where parents
learn new strategies while connecting with other parents on similar journeys
Three (60 minute) Individual Sessions including a playdate session to provide an opportunity to:
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Offer individual coaching support to each family
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Have the child practice their newly learned social skills with their parents and peers
Program Fees:
The fee for each session of the TalkAbility Program is $40 with a total of 12 sessions (November - March). These sessions are billed separately ($40) after the completion of each of the 12 sessions vs. one full payment - to make it more affordable to families
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION
October 1-31, 2026
Early Bird Registration fee
is $35 per each of the 12 sessions (total savings of $60)