Auditory Verbal Therapy
Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT) is a specialist early intervention approach for children with hearing loss who use hearing aids or cochlear implants. The goal is to help your child learn to listen and develop spoken language by making the most of their hearing technology — with you, the parent, as the most important part of the process. Below you will find information about what AVT involves, what the research says, and what to expect from sessions with me.
What is Auditory Verbal Therapy?
AVT is built on the idea that with the latest technology, children can learn to develop spoken language through listening. Rather than working directly with your child in isolation, AVT sessions focus on coaching you — the parent or carer — to embed listening and spoken language into the natural rhythm of everyday family life. You are not a bystander in sessions; you are the one learning the techniques, and your child learns through you. Sessions take place through play, songs, books and the kind of ordinary interactions that happen at home every day.
What to Expect
Exploratory Phone Call
Not sure whether AVT is the right approach for your family? I offer a free 15-minute phone call where you can tell me about your child, their hearing technology and your hopes for their communication. I can answer your questions and help you think through whether AVT — and working with me specifically — feels like the right fit. There is no obligation. To book a call, get in touch using the form below.
Taster Session
If you are new to AVT, a taster session is a gentle way to see what it looks like in practice before committing to anything. The session lasts 60 minutes and is relaxed and informal — there are no standardised tests or formal assessments. Instead, I will spend time getting to know you and your child through play and conversation, and I will introduce some of the core AVT strategies so you can experience the coaching approach firsthand. You might try things like listening games, singing, or everyday play activities, all with me guiding you on how to use them to build your child's listening and spoken language. By the end of the session you will have a much clearer sense of what AVT involves day-to-day, whether it feels right for your family, and what the next steps might look like. There is no pressure to continue afterwards — the taster session stands on its own. Many families find it the most useful first step.
Therapy Sessions
AVT sessions are 60 minutes and are built around coaching you as a parent. I will guide you through strategies — such as how to use your voice, when to pause, how to create listening opportunities and how to respond to your child's attempts — and you will practise these with your child during the session. We work through play, stories and everyday routines. At the end of each session we write take-home goals together so that you have clear, practical ideas to weave into your week. You do not need to carve out extra “therapy time” at home — the strategies are designed to fit into the things you are already doing. Sessions are typically fortnightly.
Six-Monthly Reviews
Every six months I carry out a full reassessment of your child's listening and spoken language. This allows us to track progress, celebrate how far your child has come, and update goals so that they remain meaningful and ambitious. A written report is provided after each review. These reviews are included in the AVT fee — there is no separate charge. Keeping a close eye on progress every six months is an important part of the AVT approach, and it means you always have an up-to-date picture of where your child is and where they are heading.
Does AVT Work? What the Research Shows
AVT has a strong and growing evidence base. The research findings below are summarised in plain language — not to overwhelm you with statistics, but because many parents find it reassuring to know that the approach is grounded in evidence, not just optimism.
Children can reach the same level as hearing peers
Several studies have found that children with hearing loss who receive high-quality AVT early on go on to develop listening and spoken language skills that are comparable to their hearing peers. Research by Dornan and colleagues (2010) followed children in an AVT programme and found they made significantly greater gains in spoken language than a comparison group, with many reaching age-appropriate levels. This does not happen automatically or for every child — it depends on many factors, including the age at which hearing loss was identified and hearing technology was fitted — but for many families, it is a realistic and achievable goal.
Early intervention makes a real difference
The research consistently shows that the earlier AVT begins, the better the outcomes tend to be. This is because the first few years of life are a critical window for language learning — the brain is especially ready to absorb language during this time. Newborn hearing screening programmes mean that hearing loss can now be picked up within days of birth, which makes early intervention possible in a way it was not for previous generations. Research by Niparko and colleagues (2010), published in JAMA, found that children who received cochlear implants early and had good early intervention showed spoken language development that tracked closely with hearing children.
Children can catch up — even when diagnosed late
A common worry for families is that a late diagnosis means the window has already closed. Hogan and colleagues (2008) specifically looked at this question, measuring the rate at which children in AVT developed language relative to how long they had been using their hearing technology. They found that children receiving AVT were gaining language at a faster rate than their hearing age alone would predict — in other words, AVT helped children make accelerated progress, closing the gap with their hearing peers even when intervention began later than ideal. This is not a guarantee, but it is an important and reassuring finding for families who are starting later than they would have liked.
Hearing aids and cochlear implants alone are not enough
Fitting hearing technology is an essential first step, but research shows that technology alone does not lead to the best outcomes — it needs to be paired with skilled, consistent intervention. Think of it this way: glasses correct vision, but they do not teach a child to read. Hearing aids and cochlear implants give a child access to sound, but AVT teaches them what to do with that sound. Studies by Geers and colleagues have consistently found that the quality and intensity of early intervention is as important as the quality of the technology in shaping long-term spoken language outcomes.
Long-term benefits extend beyond language
The benefits of AVT do not stop at spoken language. Research has found that children who develop strong listening and spoken language skills are better placed to integrate into mainstream educational settings, develop wider social connections and achieve greater independence as they grow up. A study by Geers and Moog found that teenagers who had received early AVT were more likely to be in mainstream education with hearing peers and to have age-appropriate academic skills. For many families, this wider picture is just as important as the language outcomes themselves.
A note on outcomes:Research findings describe averages across groups of children. Every child is different, and outcomes depend on many individual factors including degree of hearing loss, age at identification, type of hearing technology, and family circumstances. I will always give you an honest, individualised picture of what is realistic for your child — not a one-size-fits-all promise.
What Parents Say
“Since first introduced to Rosie, B has progressed with her confidence and ideas at an amazing rate. We have found all her sessions invaluable to our daughter’s progress, which can be accredited to her support, ideas and planning abilities to seamlessly lead her from one level to the next and gauging when and how much to ‘push’ her to achieve the progress she has made.”
— Parents of B, age 7
Fees
| Service | Duration | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Exploratory phone call | 15 minutes | Free |
| Taster session | 60 minutes | £80 |
| AVT session | 60 minutes | £80 |
| Six-monthly review & report | Included | — |
| Travel | Per mile | 45p |
Six-monthly assessment reports and written goals are included in the AVT session fee — there is no additional charge.
To enquire about availability or fees, please get in touch using the form below.
Get in Touch
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