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What is auditory-verbal and auditory-based therapy? Auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) — sometimes called auditory-based therapy — is a type of early intervention therapy for young children who are deaf and hard of hearing, or those who use hearing technology such as hearing aids or cochlear implants Overview What is auditory-verbal and auditory-based therapy? Auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) — sometimes called auditory-based therapy — is a type of early intervention therapy for young children who are deaf and hard of hearing, or those who use hearing technology such as hearing aids or cochlear implants. Even if your child’s hearing loss is severe to profound, their therapist may be able to teach them how to listen and communicate through spoken language. Parents and other caregivers actively take part in the therapy lessons and continue the activities at home. The goal of auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) is for your child who is deaf or hard of hearing to learn, listen and have the same ability to speak like children who can hear. Children who go through auditory-verbal therapy generally succeed in mainstream education. They excel in math and reading, make friends, gain self-esteem and live with independence. While hearing aids and cochlear implants help your child hear sounds, they must still learn how to interpret those signals. therapy? Is it successful? Hearing impairment is the most common congenital condition, meaning born with. But just because there’s a hearing difference, that doesn’t mean your child can’t learn to hear. In fact, children with hearing aids or cochlear implants can often achieve impressive audibility. Experts have found that by the time they go to first grade, the majority of children who are deaf and hard of hearing, who go through auditory-verbal therapy, have similar — or even better — spoken language skills than their hearing peers. Studies have also shown that these children do better in school than those who have hearing loss but don’t take part in AVT. Who can take part in auditory-verbal therapy? Auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) is most successful when children start early — as young as two to three months old. If your young child is deaf or hard of hearing, and they’re using either hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, they may benefit from auditory-verbal therapy. Make sure that your newborn goes through the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS). If needed, babies can be fitted with hearing aids. If hearing aids aren’t sufficient, your child can be evaluated for cochlear implants as early as nine months of age. It doesn’t matter if your child was born deaf or hard of hearing or if something else caused their hearing difference. They may benefit from auditory-verbal therapy if they struggle to hear out of one ear or two, if their condition is permanent or temporary, or if their hearing loss is mild up through severe/profound. Take part in the therapy session with your child. Your healthcare provider will coach you along the way. It’s helpful if you learn like they do. Then your “job” will be to continue teaching them outside of the lessons with their clinician.

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