Just over a year ago we received our daughters Autism diagnosis. This was a whole new world to our family. We recently took part in the Hanen More Than Words programme with Carolyn. The course was amazing and with Carolyn’s guidance and knowledge, we learned so much from the course. The difference in our daughter’s speech and communication over the last two months has been unbelievable. As parents, we have longed for our daughter to be able to communicate more with us. The joy it has brought us to hear our little girl’s voice has truly been amazing. Carolyn went above and beyond with the support she provided to us. The way Carolyn has structured the course made it enjoyable from start to finish and I believe that spreading the family video sessions throughout the programme was more beneficial to us parents. We could visually see the improvements we were making as the weeks went by. The course does require your time and effort, however, it is completely worth it. To be able to look back and see the improvements in our daughter and the tools and strategies we now have going forward out-ways anything else. We would highly recommend this course to other parents. The information and tools Carolyn provides to enable you to support your child is invaluable.
– Sandra and David, June 2024
We took part in the Hanen Programme with Carolyn in 2022. We had just received our 3 year old sons Autism diagnosis and were very new to the whole ASD world. Myself and my partner found the whole experience excellent from start to finish. Although it is a speech therapy based programme I think the way it is run by Carolyn makes it so much more. It is a type of support group and information hub for all things additional needs aswell. We had a great group of parents who all helped each other throughout the programme and beyond. This programme requires both time and effort but the results are worth it. I don’t think there was any parent who did not see progress in their child by the end (they may not be speaking but will progress in some way). Carolyn provides the tools, supports and information to equip any parent to be able to support their child in a proactive and fun way. We have and will continue to recommend Carolyn’s course to any parent in a similar situation to ours.
– Ciara and Mark, December 2023
I am so glad we decided to take the course with Carolyn Webb. She is a fantastic Speech & Language Therapist, so generous with her knowledge, time and encouragement. She is very organised, this was extremely helpful as we have a very busy household. Carolyn always had practical tips/ pointers tailored to our own scenarios. Her positivity was always hugely evident in each group session, individual video sessions and all correspondence we had with her. We finished the course so much more empowered. With Carolyn’s help we now feel an enormous sense of relief that the small but significant things we do with our son are having a huge impact. I would without doubt highly recommend doing the Hanen More Than Words course with Carolyn.
– Parents of Patrick, July 2023
Prior to beginning the Hanen More Than Words Programme earlier this year, I was feeling overwhelmed regarding my son’s communication delay: he is three years old and has recently had an autism diagnosis. He had few single words and I struggled to interpret his messages. Thanks to Carolyn’s warmth, support and expert guidance throughout the Hanen Programme, I have been able to support my son in engaging a lot more in two-way communication, in pretend play and I am now able to meet his needs and wishes more. Carolyn was hugely insightful in the feedback sessions and created a supportive online environment throughout the course in which I and the fellow group participants could really learn and connect. I could not recommend Carolyn as an SLT practitioner/facilitator and More Than Words more highly.
– A.M., July 2022
We could not recommend the more than words course highly enough – when we were initially looking around for what to do next we were recommended this course and honestly it’s the best thing we did – Carolyn is so supportive and the strategies, the information, the feedback, the fun – it’s all there and as parents we really feel like we have a solid foundation with which to work from – for anybody that feels overwhelmed, worried or unsure – you will be so glad you took this course – we could not recommend it highly enough.
– Anonymous July 2022
I have found this course to be a turning point for myself and my son. Using simple strategies I have been able to help my son communicate with me. This is having the most positive effect in all aspects of his life and even his temperament. He no longer lashes out at me because he can tell me how he is feeling and I can help him. This is noticed by family, friends and in creche. Thanks to Carolyn and the More Than Words programme my little man is speaking with his family and friends, and interacting with his peers. I would 100% recommend this course to parents with children of any age.
– Anonymous July 2022
You will not regret taking this course. It helps you look at yourself and your child in a new way, how you communicate and more importantly how they are communicating and you may just not know it yet. You will find opportunities to communicate in the everyday, you will be given tools to help them play, you will meet others in a very similar situation to you and learn from them (and probably laugh and cry with them). This course really is the beginning for you and you child, my only fault is that unfortunately it will end!
– Lorraine and John, May 2022
We have just completed the more than words 8 week course with Carolyn and cannot recommend it enough. it was brilliant for us and Callum has come on greatly from us doing the course. We found the course really helped us see and hear things in the way Callum communicates with us that we never even knew he was doing. We have also now seen many new ways we can help Callum with his communication, we see him getting better every day with his communication and it is all since we done the course.
– Anonymous April 2022
“We gained so much from completing this programme and this was due to the very skilled facilitation of Carolyn. Carolyn is warm, encouraging and importantly she gives very specific and helpful feedback based on the strategies presented within the programme. We completed this programme as a couple. It helped us to be on the same page and taught us how to encourage and coach each other when getting stuck. It builds on techniques that parents are already using. It helps you to appreciate all forms of communication and to value the relationship you already have with your child as a starting point. This is really important because going through the diagnostic process which focuses on everything your child is not doing and how the interaction is not as it would be in a neurotypical interaction can knock your confidence and leave you lost, hopeless and trying to teach everything at once. The message of the programme is hopeful and the strategies help provide a path to increase skill and enjoy your child again and from that the communication will come. “
– Aisling and Paul O’Brien, Son aged 3 Early Communicator, April 2022
“Carolyn was born to teach parents The Hanen Course!! She put me at ease straight away and was so approachable. After every session I just walked away thinking “of course, that makes total sense!” but it takes someone like Carolyn to go through the steps carefully, to fully understand The Hanen approach. She is always open for discussion on the topics and always gives (private) feedback with a parent’s Home Plan. Since the course, I am more confident and patient with my little guy. I apply the techniques Carolyn and The Hanen Course have shown me and it’s just wonderful having him let me into his world more and more every day. Thank you Carolyn and I look forward to our 1-2-1 quarterly sessions …. until your retirement!! 🙂 “
– Roisin (Bobby’s mum), April 2022
“Carolyn delivered the More Than Words Programme with such sensitivity, optimism, enthusiasm and experience. It was an invaluable experience for my husband and I, and indeed our son. We learned so much, not only how to communicate more effectively with our son but also how to enjoy him for who he is.
She truly sees the individual potential in each child and helps support you to achieve your goals in an ever friendly and positive manner.
We were experiencing a lot of frustration from our son in his communication attempts. He is now much more calm and confident in his communication with us. He knows that we are more finely tuned to his efforts and we know how to respond appropriately. Relatives have commented on how much more ‘engaged’ he is.
Carolyn and the course have given us the tools to support our son and hopefully open the door to continued progress in his communication and language development.
Like so many parents, when we first had concerns about our son, we found it hard to know where to start. Carolyn and The More than Words programme was definitely the launch pad we needed.“
– K & B Jan 2022
“When we started the More than Words course with SpeechGrove we had just received a diagnosis of ASD for our son and we were completely lost as to where to turn. Carolyn has been a port in the storm and, having completed the course, we are now a more confident, empowered, and knowledgeable household when it comes to supporting the social communication needs of our child. If you have any reservations about doing training like this online, don’t! Carolyn is meticulously organised and highly engaging. She is always determined to find tailored solutions for each family recognising how individual each of these children are. Carolyn’s one-to-ones are amazing and her passion is contagious. An eternal optimist, she sees the good in everything you do and with a tweak or two always gets the best from your child. If you had told us that our 3-year-old would be where he is a few short months ago, we wouldn’t have believed you. He has come on leaps and bounds and we attribute so much of that to this course.“
– Claire and John, December 2021
“We came across Carolyn and ‘More Than Words’ on Facebook. Before More than Words we felt totally overwhelmed and saddened, not knowing how to help our 2 yr old twin boys with language delays and communication differences. This course has been a lifeline for us and has taught us how to communicate well in a way that the boys understand. We are confident that what we are doing is a step in helping them reach their potential when it comes to communicating. Carolyn taught us how to interact with our boys in a structured, meaningful, fun way that they could understand and enjoy. We were guided on a one-to-one basis through video sessions, e-mails and class discussions via zoom using the boys individual interests and strengths. By implementing strategies from the More Than Words course, we noticed that the boys are motivated to communicate more. They laugh more, they look at us more and notice each other more. They love books, they play in different ways with a wider variety of toys and they are beginning to use gestures such as pointing and waving. We have learned how to give them opportunities to vocalise intentionally during games, stories and when playing with toys. We will be forever grateful to Carolyn for her professional guidance and will use the acquired skills for many years to come. Thank you.”
– Anonymous, November 2021
“I found that the ‘More than Words’ program delightfully exceeded any expectations I may have had. To be honest, I found it difficult to have any substantial expectations, as this was all new to me and I really did not know anything about Speech Therapy or Hanen. Also, being so worried about my sons delayed speech I was in a world of knots trying to find a solution and some way to help him progress. Thankfully this course was recommended to me and I never looked back. Right from the orientation day and meeting Carolyn I knew I found my solution, and a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. The fact that this course is spread out over several weeks lends itself to you being able to absorb the information and put it to use, allowing you see the progress as you go along. The layout and format of this course gives you the maximum benefit, most other courses take place over a day or too, and are so intensive that most of the information just washes away never to be used in real life. This is the opposite, every week a new module is put to use straight away, and from day one your relationship with your child begins to be moulded to incorporate the Hanen way of communicating, and life just gets better. After a few weeks the results are quite apparent and once the course is complete you will have the necessary tools to continue to get the best from your child. I found this so empowering knowing that I am helping my child in ways that I could not have imagined before taking this course. I found that my son is a different child now compared to before we began, and in the space of three months he has gone from not even saying “mama and dada” to having three or four word sentences, requesting and commenting on everyday situations, that was the power of Hanen and More than Words for me and my son.“
– P., November 2021
“As parents of a 5 year old minimally verbal child, we cannot thank Carolyn or recommend her enough to other parents who have speech delayed children. In a few short months, our child is using language, communicating more and engaging with us daily. Carolyn is kind, supportive, hugely insightful and enabled us to use the techniques and tools of the “More than Words” program which has made us empowered to help our child develop his speech and language. We now feel confident that within the next few months we will be able to have conversations with him. We are more than grateful to Carolyn and her unique ability to help us understand our child more and help him progress. We are now excited for his future!”
– E and D, 2021
“Carolyn is a warm and sincere professional, obviously passionate about what she does. She gave us clear and specific directions about how to support our son’s social and communication skills and he went from strength to strength throughout the ‘More Than words’ programme. Carolyn was always happy to answer any questions and we felt very hopeful by the end knowing that there are tons of things we can do to continue supporting our child’s development. We wish every parent that has a child with Autism could have access to this course, it’s excellent.“
– Anonymous, 2021
“Our son was 2 years old and non-verbal when he was diagnosed with autism. We felt lost and unsure of what to do next. One thing recommended to us was to take part in the Hanen ‘More than Words’ Program which could potentially help us address his struggles to communicate. We are so happy that we found this course and that Carolyn was the person leading us through it. Throughout the course she was patient, diligent, encouraging, thorough, understanding and kind. The course gave us structure to understand how our son was developing and the tools to develop his progress. We would have no hesitation recommending Carolyn and the ‘More than Words’ Program to any parent facing a similar situation.“
– John & Claire, 2021
“As parents the programme helped us to align and agree on our communication goals. It helped us to see everyday situations as opportunities to improve communication skills. This makes parenting more fun, and we feel better that we’re helping our child. The programme really works. Carolyn is a very supportive, professional and well-organised speech therapist. She gave us great guidance along the way.“
– Anonymous, 2021
“Carolyn has provided us with great practical assistance in dealing with the challenge of our son’s autism diagnosis. Over the course of a few months, she has helped us to develop skills that have helped him to make enormous progress in his communication. Throughout, she has demonstrated sensitivity and skill in her engagement with us and our son. We will continue to turn to Carolyn for ongoing assistance, and we would recommend her to other parents without any hesitation.“
– Anonymous, 2021
“Our son had just turned 3 and had recently received his autism diagnosis when we found Carolyn. Another autism parent had suggested More than Words to us. We were feeling extremely frustrated as we had had very little support prior to this course. What we have learnt has been invaluable in helping our son’s communication progress. We are so happy that this course was suggested to us and more so that Carolyn was the practitioner leading it. Throughout the course Carolyn has been professional, supportive, encouraging and reassuring. Her understanding nature makes her so approachable at any time and her assistance throughout it all has no doubt made the course a lot easier to manage. The course has given us strategies and structure help our son develop to the best of his ability and I would recommend Carolyn and More than Words to anyone in a similar situation to us.“
– Siobhan & Philip, 2021
“Our 18 month old son was presenting with ASD and was non-verbal. After getting recommendations from a number of professionals and doing our research we found the “More than words” Hanen Program and then found that Carolyn at The Speech Grove was running the Parenting course. We signed up and are so happy we did. The course was very professionally run, very organised and thorough. The techniques and methods provided for parents are invaluable. The course requires a lot of work and engagement but the results are worth it. Our son just turned 2 and now has a large vocabulary, can count to 10 and has short sentences starting to emerge. His confidence to attempt words at times astounds us. We couldn’t recommend the course highly enough.”
– J & D, 2021