Children, parents, and professionals in partnership |
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The AV Approach: FAQs  How does Auditory-Verbal therapy differ from other kinds of speech therapy? Who provides Auditory-Verbal services? Why aren't Auditory-Verbal services offered in my area? What age is best to begin the Auditory-Verbal approach? How often do families go to AV UK? Who Pays? What results can be achieved? Where is AVUK?Q: How does Auditory-Verbal therapy differ from other kinds of speech therapy? A: Many speech and language therapists and teachers of the deaf provide services to improve communication skills of children with hearing impairment. Some teach British Sign Language, while others use total communication (a combination of sign and oral language), oral or cued speech (speech accompanied by hand configurations to aid lip-reading). Very few professionals are certified as Auditory-Verbal therapists who are equipped to provide therapy sessions, parent guidance, and the educational services needed to maximise the child's use of hearing as a primary sense for speaking and learning at school. Q: Who provides Auditory-Verbal services? A: AVUK has two Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapists® (see the meet the team section). Elsewhere in the UK two paediatric cochlear implant services, Birmingham and Manchester, have certified auditory verbal therapists® on their teams. They have been specially trained for this work. Some other therapists in the UK are not certified but do follow the principles of the Auditory-Verbal philosophy. Talking to a prospective therapist will let you know his or her beliefs and practices; meeting children and parents from various programs will help you find the most appropriate programme for your child. See also:
Find a Cert AVT® Q: Why aren't Auditory-Verbal services offered in my area? A: Compared to other communication and teaching methods for deaf children, the Auditory-Verbal approach is relatively new. However, interest is growing with the advent of new technology which is improving the quality of the amplified sound and allowing more children to learn to listen as the first option. Many teachers of the hearing impaired were trained before the Auditory-Verbal approach was understood and are unfamiliar with it. Q: What age is best to begin the Auditory-Verbal approach? A: No infant is too young to start listening! As soon as the infant's hearing loss has been confirmed we can begin to help you acquire the knowledge you need to make effective choices for your child. Through working together you will gain the confidence, skills and techniques to communicate more successfully with your infant. The human brain learns very rapidly in infancy - there's much that can be done. Q: How often do families go to AV UK? A: Most families receive a one hour session each week or fortnight. Families travel to AV UK from all corners of the UK. When families are limited by distance they may receive less frequent sessions. The frequency of the visits is not the main factor in a child's progress. Rather, it is the commitment of the family to a listening lifestyle that has the greatest impact on learning to talk. Q: Who Pays? A: The majority of families fund themselves. Some families have been successful in arranging for their private health companies to pay for sessions. A quarter of the families who attend AV UK have their AVT funded by their local education authority. A further portion of our families are subsidised by our bursary scheme. The Meningitus Trust (www.meningitis-trust.org) are able to fund AVT sessions if your child has experienced meningitus. Q: What results can be achieved? A: The children's progress is closely monitored and assessed. We find when parents and auditory-therapist have an active partnership the child makes at least 12 months speech and language progress in 12 months and frequently much more. A generation of profoundly deaf graduates from Auditory-Verbal programmes throughout North America have received careful study (Goldberg and Flexer, 1993). Even though the subjects were trained with hearing aids and did not have the advantage of cochlear implants, the vast majority perceived themselves as fully integrated in the hearing community, went to their local schools, went on to higher education, did not need sign language, used the telephone to send and receive messages and pursued careers of their choice. Through the auditory-verbal approach parents help their child to listen with their hearing aids or cochlear implants so that they can communicate and be fully integrated in their families, schools and community. This is the only programme of its kind in the UK. Q: Where is AVUK? A: The Centre is located in Chesterton, close to Bicester, with easy access to major routes to London and the North (M40 junction 9), and is well served by train (Bicester North) from London and Birmingham. |