Auditory Verbal Therapy UK (AVUK)
Deaf Awareness Week 2024: challenging perceptions of what deaf children can achieve
New research released by charity Auditory Verbal UK for Deaf Awareness Week 2024 (May 6 -12) has revealed that more than a quarter (28%) of UK adults believe it is not possible for a child born profoundly deaf today to learn to speak as well as a child without hearing loss*.
But with early and effective support with Auditory Verbal therapy, deaf children can learn to speak like their hearing peers. Early and effective support to develop language and communication is vital for all deaf children, whether their families choose to communicate with spoken language, sign language or both.
What is Auditory Verbal therapy?
Auditory Verbal therapy is a family-centred specialist approach to developing spoken language through listening for deaf children. It supports pre-school deaf children, from birth to five years of age, learn how to make sense of the sound they receive through their hearing technology, like cochlear implants and hearing aids, and develop spoken language so they can learn to talk like their hearing friends.
Children like Lola, from Sheffield, who was born profoundly deaf and supported to listen and speak with Auditory Verbal therapy provided by charity Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK). Lola achieved age-appropirate spoken language after being on the Auditory Verbal therapy programme for three years and now 6 is flourishing and speaks not only in English but also French and Spanish.
Watch Lola’s journey here.
Who is Auditory Verbal UK?
Charity Auditory Verbal UK is the only UK-wide charity offering Auditory Verbal therapy and is now able to offer Auditory Verbal therapy sessions in person at its location in north-east Leeds as well as online or using a hybrid approach. Its family programme includes fortnightly therapy sessions delivered by a highly specialist certified Auditory Verbal Therapist, who is a teacher of the deaf, speech and language therapist or audiologist who has undergone a minimum of three years additional post-graduate internationally accredited training.
Recent research by AVUK, backed up by international evidence, shows that around 80% of children who attend an Auditory Verbal therapy programme for at least two years achieve the same level of spoken language as their hearing peers, rising to 97% of children without additional needs. The majority of these children are attaining educational outcomes on a par with hearing children and attend mainstream schools.
Yorkshire celebrity support
Tasha Ghouri, deaf influencer and model, who was born and brought up in Yorkshire, is backing Auditory Verbal UK’s calls to challenge perceptions of what deaf children can achieve. She said: “Far too many people don’t know or understand what deaf people can do and accomplish, or even that deaf children can learn to speak really well. As a proud deaf person and cochlear implant user, I am passionate about using my platform to educate people in deaf awareness. By sharing our stories and diverse experiences of deafness we can hopefully help others and bust myths!
“The work Auditory Verbal UK does to support deaf babies and children to learn to listen and talk is amazing and it has been fantastic to meet some of children and young people they support to understand the benefits of Auditory Verbal therapy and how it has helped them at home, in school and in life. I love how confident they are and challenging myths that they can’t do things because they are deaf. It’s great!”
Find out more about Auditory Verbal therapy
If you would like to find out more about Auditory Verbal therapy and AVUK’s family programme, please do get in touch by calling 01869 325000 or completing the online form: (https://www.avuk.org/forms/family-enquiry)
There are bursaries for families to help access the programme.
If you would like to find out more about how to book a hearing test for your child, please click here ‘Children’s Hearing’
AVUK offers free, monthly, online ‘Meet an Auditory Verbal Therapist’ information sessions for families of deaf babies and children: To book please visit: https://www.avuk.org/Pages/Events/Category/meet-an-auditory-verbal-therapist
* YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2125 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 12th – 14th April 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).