Our impact News Sky's the limit for 11-year-old Molly who was born profoundly deaf Molly, from Halifax, West Yorkshire, is celebrating Deaf Awareness Week 15th – 21st May with many other deaf children across the UK who have had their lives transformed. Molly was born with a profound hearing loss and received cochlear implants when she was 22 months old. Her mother, Emma, decided that the best way for Molly to make best use of her hearing technology and to develop language would be to go through a programme of Auditory Verbal therapy. Auditory Verbal therapy teaches deaf children to listen, speak and develop the lifelong communication and social skills they need to enjoy the same opportunities as their hearing peers. Molly is now 11 years old and doing extremely well at a mainstream primary school where she was elected house captain and is a play leader, supporting younger children in the playground. Molly’s mother, Emma, said: Molly is a very articulate speaker, an avid reader, she writes her own stories, she loves to bake, and she’s a keen gymnast. She is happy and confident and is always slightly bemused by people who are surprised by how well she can speak and hear – she takes it for granted. She recently sat her 11+ entrance exam and was offered a place at Crossley Heath Grammar School. I am extremely proud of Molly. Unfortunately, in the UK today only 33% of deaf children achieve a good level of development in the Early Years’ Foundation Stage[1]. This really should not be the case. At Auditory Verbal UK, 80% of children who spend at least two years on the early intervention programme achieve age-appropriate language and most attend mainstream schools. Molly’s mother Emma has said: Molly has done extremely well, and I believe the support I received from AVUK in helping her to achieve her full potential has been a huge part of her success. Join the conversation online during #DeafAwarenessWeek. Follow @AuditoryVerbal on Twitter and like Auditory Verbal UK on Facebook. www.avuk.org [1] Source: Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results: 2014 to 2015, Department for Education, 2017, via NDCS Manage Cookie Preferences