Feasibility and acceptability of Hanen ® More Than Words program for migrant Australian families

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Smith, J., Turner, S. J., Davenport, R., Barbaro, J., Worthington, N., Wang, Y., Ma, E., Patel, K., Ijaz, R., Wong, C., & Pye, K. (2026). Feasibility and acceptability of Hanen ® More Than Words program for migrant Australian families. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2026.2693244

Publication date: 7 Jul 2026 Added to AutiHub: 7 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
11
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 11 (9.1%)
  1. Jodie Smith
  2. Samantha J Turner
  3. Rachel Davenport
  4. Josephine Barbaro *
  1. Nikki Worthington
  2. Yimin Wang
  3. Emily Ma
  4. Kanisha Patel
  1. Rabia Ijaz
  2. Chloe Wong
  3. Katherine Pye

Abstract

Purpose Early supports are provided to promote outcomes for autistic children and children with social communication differences. For migrant families, early supports may be especially vital due to additional challenges they can face.Method In this mixed-method participatory study, we investigated feasibility and acceptability of Hanen® More Than Words for migrant families with autistic children and those showing social communication differences. Australian-based Chinese and South Asian families (n = 15) were offered Hanen® More Than Words delivered in Mandarin/Cantonese and English respectively. Data were collected about participants’ experiences via interviews and questionnaires. This study was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry [#ACTRN12624000312549p].Result Attendance rates were high (86.7%) with only two families withdrawing due to competing commitments. Overall, participants were satisfied with Hanen® More Than Words but some program aspects were challenging for Chinese participants especially—including communication strategies (i.e. following their child’s lead) and role playing. Participants reported logistical challenges to attending face-to-face sessions but valued group-based learning with peers who had similar backgrounds and experiences. Although participants described more understanding and acceptance of their children after Hanen® More Than Words, different program elements shaped individuals’ learnings.Conclusion Findings provide evidence of feasibility and acceptability of Hanen® More Than Words for migrant Chinese and South Asian families living in Australia.

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Cited references
47
With a DOI
38
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
9
5 / 47 (10.6%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
5 / 47 (10.6%)
References with detected author names
42 / 47 (89.4%)
Without detected author names
5
Without a structured title
5
Without a stable identifier
9
References with raw author names still to review
5
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
181
From DOI or external metadata
181
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
11
72 / 181 (39.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 109 / 181 (60.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
9 / 181 (5.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 9 / 72 (12.5%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 5 / 155 (3.2%).
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