Louise Ashton, née Hönck, Senior Auditory Verbal Therapist and Training Lead Expand MA Communication Pathology, MRCSLT, PgDip Auditory Verbal Therapy, LSLS Cert. AVT® Louise is a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist. She is dually trained as a Speech-Language Therapist and Audiologist and obtained her masters degree at the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 2004. Louise has specialised in delivering audiology and speech and language therapy across a range of different settings to various client groups after moving to the UK. She undertook training during this period and became a Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist in children with hearing loss. She completed her postgraduate diploma in Auditory Verbal Therapy with distinction at Aston University in 2011. She was mentored towards LSLS CertAVT® whilst working at AVUK. Louise also trained in the assessment and treatment of oro-motor speech production difficulties using the PROMPT approach (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Target). Louise leads on Auditory Verbal UK’s online AGBEll and RCSLT accredited Foundation and Advanced training programs, supports the clinical team, mentor in-house trainees, provide intervention services using telepractice, and regularly travels internationally to give lectures or train professionals. Louise co-authored 3 chapters in Auditory-Verbal Therapy for Young Children with Hearing Loss and Their Families, and the Practitioners Who Guide Them (Estabrooks, W, Maclver-Lux, K & Rhoades, E.A., Plural Publishing 2016). Louise co-authored 3 chapters in Auditory Verbal Therapy Science Research and Practice. Estabrooks, W., McCaffrey Morrison, H. & Maclver-Lux,K. Plural Publishing (in print). Working hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 07:00-12:00 and Tuesday 07:00-11:00 Louise works remotely from South Africa and in our London centre. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: Louise Honck Facebook: Louise Avuk
Susannah Burden, Senior Auditory Verbal Therapist Expand BSc (Hons) SLT, Cert MRCSLT, PgDip Auditory Verbal Therapy, LSLS Cert. AVT® Susannah is a listening and spoken language specialist, certified Auditory Verbal therapist. She is currently working at our Oxfordshire centre, with time spent in clinical work with families and in training therapists. Susannah trained to be a speech and language therapist at De Montfort University and completed her postgraduate diploma in Auditory Verbal Therapy at Aston University. She was mentored towards LSLS CertAVT® by Jacqueline Stokes, Donna Sperandio, Rosemary Richardson and Catherine White whilst working at Auditory Verbal UK. Susannah has specialised in delivering therapy to children with hearing impairment since qualifying, and since 2011 as a certified auditory verbal therapist. Susannah is involved in delivering training and mentoring to professionals and works with babies, pre-school and some older children with varying degrees of hearing loss and language levels as well as additional needs such as ASD and Down’s Syndrome. Email: [email protected] Facebook: Susie Avuk
Emma Burton, Auditory Verbal Therapist Expand BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Therapy, LSLS Cert. AVT Emma qualified from Birmingham City University with a first class degree in Speech and Language Therapy. She had her first introduction to AVT on placement at the Birmingham Cochlear Implant Centre and was inspired by the listening and spoken language outcomes that deaf children were able to achieve. In August 2015, Emma joined the team at AVUK and began training in-house to become a certified Auditory Verbal Therapist. She qualified as a certified Auditory Verbal therapist in April 2019. She is passionate about empowering families and helping deaf children to achieve their potential. Emma works Monday-Friday 8.30-16.30 at the Oxford centre. Email: [email protected] Twitter:@emmaavuk
James Cahalane, Project Manager Expand James joins us on a secondment posting from the Civil Service, where he has gained experience in a variety of governmental departments since graduating in 2019. James will provide project management to the Operations team, focusing on the company-wide transformation to a cloud platform and mapping out the new normal for work life at AVUK. He works full-time in our London centre.
Frances Clark, Senior Auditory Verbal Therapist and Clinical Lead Expand BA Speech and Hearing Therapy (Speech Pathology and Audiology), LSLS Cert. AVT® Frances qualified as a speech-language pathologist and audiologist at The University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa in 2004. After working in a South African hospital as a speech therapist/audiologist for one year, she moved to England in 2006. She worked for the Oxford Cochlear Implant Team and Oxford Primary Care Trust as a highly specialist speech and language therapist in deafness. She then worked as a highly specialist speech and language therapist for The Elizabeth Foundation, for pre-school deaf children and their parents, developing the speech and language therapy programme there. In 2013, she began training in Auditory Verbal Therapy through our Part 1 course. In October 2013, she joined the team at AVUK and in August 2015 she qualified as an LSLS Cert. AVT. Frances is the Clinical Lead for our London centre. Frances regularly presents at conferences and delivers training both in the UK and abroad. She has a special interest in using books in therapy, Theory of Mind and Sensory Integration. She obtained a postgraduate certificate in Sensory Integration through Ulster University in January 2018. Frances works Monday-Friday 9am – 5pm at the London centre. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn:Frances Clark Facebook: Frances Avuk Twitter: @frances_AVT
Carol Exell, Volunteer Administrator Expand Carol Exell joined AVUK Bicester in September 2018 as a part-time Administration Volunteer. She comes from a background in primary school teaching and libraries- both public and school. Carol works at Bignell Park Barns on Tuesdays. Email: [email protected]
Rachel French, Operations Manager Expand Rachel joined Auditory VerbalUK in January 2007 and has over 30 years’ experience working in senior administrative roles in both the public and private sector. Rachel’s role as Operations Manager encompasses HR, facilities, IT, administration, scheduling and training. Rachel works full-time 08.30-16.30 at our Oxfordshire centre. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: Rachel French
Estelle Gerrett, Senior Auditory Verbal Therapist Expand LSLS Cert. AVT, B.Ed (Hons), Adv Post.Grad Dip HI Estelle's career in working with hearing loss and speech development began under personal circumstances. Her son, Nathan, contracted meningitis when he was one, and lost his hearing as a result. Despite being told that Nathan would not be able to develop speech, Estelle believed there must be a way. So Estelle, who already had a career as a primary school teacher, went to University and gained a Masters in Hearing Impairment and Speech Development so she could teach her son to talk. She later certified as an Auditory Verbal Therapist and over the past 14 years has coached hundreds of parents to develop their children’s listening, talking and social skills at the Hearing House in New Zealand. In September 2017 Estelle moved to the UK and joined the team of Auditory Verbal therapists at Auditory Verbal UK. As part of her role at AVUK, Estelle sees families for therapy and works with our family support team to develop our programme available for families. She also delivers presentations and training for families; organisations and health and education professionals across the UK. Estelle works four days a week from our London and Bicester centres. Email: [email protected]
Anita Grover, Chief Executive Expand Anita became Chief Executive of AVUK in 2013 following a 20 year career in the public sector. As a senior civil servant, she led communications on the government’s disability, employers, pensions and poverty agendas, working with a succession of cabinet ministers, business leaders and third sector organisations. Anita is profoundly deaf, having lost her hearing progressively from childhood. She had successful cochlear implant surgery in 2006 and brings to the role personal insight into hearing loss and a passion for improving outcomes for deaf children. In 2014 Anita became the first CEO of a UK-based charity to be awarded the Macquarie David Clarke Social Innovation Fellowship and was nominated for the 2015 Rising CEO of the Year at the Third Sector Awards. In Dec 2016 Anita was awarded a Fellowship by the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations. Anita is a Fellow of the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing; a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a former governor of a primary school in Buckinghamshire. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @AnitaGrover Facebook: Anita Avuk
Claire Guy, Finance Manager Expand After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, Claire has worked at a senior level with SMEs in both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Claire manages all the day to day finances. She is also responsible for management and statutory financial reporting. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: Claire Guy