“The publication of the Kingdon Review into children’s hearing services marks a watershed moment for paediatric audiology and early support for deaf children to be able to achieve their potential in life.”

 

Today (Monday 10^th November 2025) the Department of Health and Social Care published the Kingdon Review.

 

Statement from Auditory Verbal UK Chief Executive, Anita Grover:

“Auditory Verbal UK welcomes the publication of the independent review by Dr Camilla Kingdon and the recommendations which have been put forward. 

“This is a watershed moment, not only for paediatric audiology but also the future of early support and services for deaf children, which are vital in enabling them to have the same opportunities in life as their hearing peers.

 

“The Government must now implement these recommendations swiftly to ensure there is no repeat of the issues with paediatric audiology which have put at risk the futures of so many deaf children. It is absolutely vital that deafness is identified early to maximise the critical early years. We stand ready to work alongside Government to ensure all deaf children can thrive.

 

“We are pleased to see recommendations on investing in services and the workforce, changing how services are delivered, and improving monitoring and reporting on outcomes. Reporting outcomes is key to understanding what children are currently achieving and whether they are reaching the potential that research shows is possible with early and effective support for language and communication. It also helps identify where improvements are needed to ensure every child can thrive.

 

“All deaf children have the right to develop language and communication to reach their potential. Alongside high-quality audiology, access to skilled early support is vital to ensure deaf children start school alongside their hearing peers with the language and communication skills needed, whether their families wish to use spoken language, sign language, or both.

 

“But access to this vital early support – including Auditory Verbal therapy for those families who wish to use spoken language and BSL classes for those families who want to use sign language – remains a postcode lottery across the UK.  

“We know that with early diagnosis and effective support, deaf children can thrive. We hope by taking on the recommendations in this review, it will mark a meaningful step toward making the UK a global leader in ensuring deaf children reach their full potential.”

 

Information about supporting deaf babies and children is available from the National Deaf Children’s Society and more detail about Auditory Verbal therapy is available from Auditory Verbal UK.