Auditory Verbal Therapy: Guide

What is Auditory Verbal practice?

Auditory Verbal (AV) therapy is the practice of developing spoken language through listening for children who are deaf.  Children who are born with hearing loss or acquire hearing loss in early childhood have the potential to: develop listening skills, develop  spoken language, enjoy social interactions and achieve academically, the same as their typically hearing peers (Estabrooks, MacIver-Lux & Rhoades, 2016)¹.  The AV approach is an  early intervention approach which coaches and supports parents and caregivers to maximise the use of their child’s residual hearing through the use of optimally-fitted hearing technology (such as hearing aids and cochlear implants). Parents are coached to maximise their child’s listening and learning, and subsequently their child’s speech and language development.  The AV approach stimulates auditory brain development and enables deaf children with hearing technology to make sense of the sounds relayed by their devices.  Through the child’s play and every day activities, parents are supported in ways to enhance listening and thinking and to model spoken language. It is diagnostic in its approach meaning it is continually tailored to the family based on formal and informal assessments that allow for progress to be monitored and evaluated in a way that is meaningful for the family.  The AV approach is practised by professionals, including Teachers of the Deaf, who have received additional post graduate training and have been certified as Listening and Spoken Language Specialists (LSLS) and have the designation LSLS Cert AVT or LSLS Cert AV Ed from the Alexander Graham Bell (AG Bell) Academy (Goldberg, Dickson, & Flexer, 2010)².  AV practitioners work with children with mild to profound hearing loss and with and without additional needs.  For all children the earlier the intervention starts the better the prognosis for spoken language development (Hitchins and Hogan, 2018)³.

Auditory Verbal therapy is one approach for families of deaf children for developing spoken language. It differs from other spoken language approaches in how it is delivered and who it is delivered by.

• It is a parent-coaching programme. Typically, during fortnightly sessions, for an average of 2 and a half years, the family is supported to develop their child’s language skills so that they can use the techniques at home.
• The best outcomes are achieved when the child’s hearing technology (hearing aids or cochlear implants) are working optimally through liaison and working closely with the audiology team.
• It is a play-based approach. Through play, we work to enable the child to listen and talk, and to improve the child’s confidence and their peer interaction. A strong basis in listening provides a solid foundation for the skills needed for learning to read and write. These are all important for time spent in the playground, the classroom and throughout their lives.
• It is individualised. The programme is designed for the child and their needs. Goals are set within a developmental framework and progress is closely monitored in partnership with the family and other professionals who work with them.
• We work together with you to share learnings with professionals, including the teacher of the deaf and speech and language therapist, so the whole team around the family are working together to support the child.

For a more in depth explanation of AV read more on AVUK's 'What is Auditory Verbal therapy' webpage.For further information about what an AV session looks like: 

• Auditory Verbal UK Therapy Sessions