Auditory Verbal Therapy: Guide

History of Auditory Verbal practice

In the late 1930s, three pioneering practitioners (Helen H. Beebe, Ciwa Griffiths and Doreen Pollack) began providing services that were the pre-cursors to AV therapy.  Their services were strongly influenced by Max Goldstein (American Otologist) who proposed an acoustic method so children with hearing loss could learn through the auditory sense (Rhoades & Duncan, 2010)⁴.

FIRST TECHNOLOGICAL ERA:
During the first technological era, the modern audiometer was manufactured and the monopac (body worn) hearing aid was developed.  There was general movement towards pre-school education for all children, promoting early intervention for those with hearing loss.

SECOND TECHNOLOGICAL ERA:

During the second technological era hearing aids became smaller and more powerful and began to be fitted to both ears.  Pollack began to advance her new philosophy that deaf children could be taught to depend on their aided hearing and to learn spoken language like hearing children do.

Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK) was founded in 2003 by Jacqueline Stokes to raise expectations for deaf children and to provide access to Auditory Verbal therapy for the first time in the UK.

AG Bell formed the Academy for Listening and Spoken Language in 2005.