There is a wealth of research data and evidence, both from the UK and internationally, demonstrating the effectiveness of Auditory Verbal therapy as part of an early intervention approach for supporting deaf children to develop optimal listening and spoken language skills.  

This paper aims to consider the evidence in relation to the impact of hearing loss on children and young people as a basis for rational investment in Auditory Verbal therapy in the UK to create equitable access to this element of the early intervention approach for deaf children.  

• Context
• Prevalence of hearing loss in the UK
• The impact of hearing loss for children and young people
• The importance of early intervention in developing language and communication
• Auditory Verbal therapy - what is it and what are the outcomes?
• UK evidence on outcomes
• International evidence on outcomes
• Professional outcomes - the impact of training in Auditory Verbal therapy
• Family outcomes
• The rationale for change
• Conclusion and recommendations
• References

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CONTEXT

On average, there are three babies born deaf each day in the UK[1] and the majority are born to hearing parents, who may not have had any previous experience of deafness or using sign language as a form of communication.

All children have the right to develop language and communication so that they can achieve their potential in life. Access to their language and communication environment is key to this development. For children who are born deaf, especially into hearing families with no experience of hearing loss, early support is vital if they are to develop the language and communication skills they need to thrive. This early support is vital whether a family wishes to use sign language, spoken language or both.

According to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, Article 13[2] states that all children should have Freedom of Expression, and we know that developing effective communication skills is key to this expression. Deaf children are not currently achieving the potential they are capable of; their attainment levels are below those of their hearing peers and they are at increased risk of experiencing mental health issues, social isolation, exclusion and bullying.

FCEI International is a collaborative, multi-disciplinary, worldwide network of parents, families, professionals and researchers, who are engaged in promoting and improving evidence-informed practice and research in Family-Centred Early Intervention (FCEI). They have developed ten principles of recommended good practice when providing early intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), which have been split into three areas, Foundation, Support and Structure Principles.

Over the last two years, AVUK has contributed to the International Family Centred Early Intervention for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (FCEI-DHH) Consensus Panel’s review of the FCEI-DHH Principles (2024)[3], first published in 2013[4]. These principles have formed an agreed benchmark of good practice for centres delivering early intervention to families and children with hearing loss. The team at Auditory Verbal UK, along with other contributing professionals, highlighted relevant recent research as part of the review of this valuable framework of ten principles.

Principle five states that ‘families should be supported to promote their children’s language and communication development in natural, daily interactions. Early access to language, whether signed, spoken or combined, is important',[5] It explains that it is important that all children are exposed to language that is accessible to them from infancy and for the creation of a language-rich environment, they need regular and consistent exposure.

Furthermore, principle six recognises that families are diverse and should be supported to be informed-decision makers, early intervention providers should respect families and provide them with comprehensive, accurate and impartial information.

We believe that parents of deaf children should always be presented with clear information about the range of communication approaches so they are able to make an informed decision about which communication approach or approaches they would like for their child.

Considering the FCEI principles, the focus of this paper is to explore the national and international research on the effectiveness of Auditory Verbal therapy as part of an early intervention programme for deaf children. In the first instance, the paper will outline the prevalence of hearing loss in the UK, the potential impact of hearing loss on children and young people and the importance of early intervention when developing language and communication, before focussing on the outcomes of Auditory Verbal therapy.

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PREVALENCE OF HEARING LOSS IN THE UK

Identification of hearing loss in babies and children

In the UK there has been substantial investment in screening and hearing technologies. In 2006 the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) was introduced on the premise that outcomes for deaf children could be improved by early identification of hearing loss and effective early intervention.[6]^,[7]

Since then, millions of babies have been screened for hearing loss at birth and for those that do not show a clear response in one or both ears, have been referred to a hearing specialist at an Audiology clinic. For babies identified as having hearing loss the local education services will arrange for a specialist support worker – this is usually a teacher of the deaf – to get in touch as soon as possible.

However, amplification alone does not allow for optimal spoken language development[8], nor does amplification alone support growth in other developmental areas such as social competence[9]. Following implantations of auditory devices, a period of habilitation will follow, where the child will learn to listen with the new devices. This process will differ depending on the needs of the children, as well as the resource and services in the area, for example it may include individual therapy by teachers of the deaf and speech and language therapists. 

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The number of children with hearing loss in the UK

Guidance on hearing loss, published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in 2025, states that one to two babies in every 1,000[10] are born with a permanent hearing loss in one or both ears and we know from other research that around 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents[11].

It is known that the prevalence of permanent childhood hearing loss increases year on year until the age of 9 years.[12]

The number of children with permanent hearing loss, in the UK, under the age of five years has been estimated to be 6,400[13] - 7,200[14].

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THE IMPACT OF HEARING LOSS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

NICE guidelines recognise that ‘a child who is born deaf within a hearing family or for a person who becomes deaf and is used to functioning in a hearing environment, deafness can have a significant impact on their quality of life. For children, deafness may have significant consequences for linguistic, cognitive, emotional, educational and social development.’ [15]

Below is a summary of some of the key impacts that hearing loss can have on a child or young person’s life, in the absence of early and effective support to develop language and communication skills, whether that is spoken language, sign language or both.

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Spoken Language 

A number of studies[16] show that oral language skills for deaf children are lower than those of hearing children. One project, as part of the Literacy and Deafness Development Research Lab (LADDER) longitudinal study, found that hearing children had higher raw scores on all spoken language measures in preschool compared to deaf children. The project further noted that, whilst deaf and hearing children made progress on their scores between pre-school and reception at the same rate, deaf children were unable to close the gap and catch up with their hearing peers[17].

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Educational attainment 

Deafness is not a learning disability. Most children with hearing loss have the potential to reach the same educational outcomes as hearing children if they have appropriate support. However, if there is a language delay, this can affect both children’s literacy and numeracy, and research has shown that deaf children are falling behind their hearing peers in educational attainment and are not achieving the outcomes in language and communication we know are possible.

A study in 2017 funded by the Nuffield Foundation reported that 48% of oral children aged between 10 and 11 years were reading below age level[18]. Analysis of 2022’s GCSE results by the National Deaf Children’s Society shows that deaf pupils in England have now achieved an entire GCSE grade less than hearing peers for at least seven years in a row. Just 37.7% of deaf children gained a grade 5 in key subjects English and Maths, compared to 49.8% of hearing children[19]. Similar analysis for Key Stage 2 results showed that only 40% of deaf children achieved the expected standard for reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stage 2 compared to 59% of all children[19].

Figures show that deaf children are not ‘catching up’ from their lower starting points as they move through secondary school[20]. Furthermore, an early language delay can continue to jeopardise future educational outcomes for deaf children.

In 2024 results from the early years foundation stage (EYFS) profile show that for deaf five-year olds in England, 42% achieved a “good level of development” in key areas like literacy, mathematics and communication by the time they start school, compared to 68%[21] of all children.

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Mental, emotional and behavioural outcomes

There are numerous studies, both nationally and internationally, that indicate children with hearing loss are more likely to experience mental health, behavioural and emotional difficulties due to the unique challenges caused by deafness.

In 2004 the Department of Health found that over 40% of children with permanent hearing loss are estimated to have mental health difficulties at some point in childhood and early adulthood, compared with 25% of hearing children.[22]

In addition, children who have hearing loss are also at greater risk of experiencing social isolation, loneliness and difficulty with peer relationships[23].

In 2011, an Australian study concluded ‘that children with hearing problems face multiple concurrent health and developmental problems. Moreover, children with hearing problems exhibit behavioural problems when they do not understand what is going on around them. Without appropriate interventions, these children are at risk of developing mental health disorders.’[24]

Additional research in 2011 highlighted how the lack of access to language has an impact on the emotional development of children[25].

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Employment outcomes

According to recent employment figures deaf people are less likely to be in employment than their hearing peers[26]. The employment rate for those with hearing loss is 65%, compared to 79% of people with no long-term health issue or disability. In addition, on average, people with hearing loss are paid £2,000 less per year than the general population; this amounts to £4 billion per year in lost income across the UK[27].

A 2019 study from Brunel University looking at the impact of hearing loss and evaluating the costs states that ‘data from Australia, the USA and the UK show that hearing impaired people are overrepresented in low-income groups, and that household income decreases as the severity of hearing loss increases. Reasons for this are that in general people with hearing impairment work fewer hours and for lower rates of pay than people with normal hearing; they are thus overrepresented in lower status and lower paid jobs.’ [28]

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THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY INTERVENTION IN DEVELOPING LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

It is essential to provide intervention as early in the child’s development as possible following the identification of the child’s hearing loss, while also considering the preferences of the family[29]. 

There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to supporting language and communication development for deaf children and their families, and different children thrive with different approaches. What is of crucial importance is that all deaf children get the best start in life and flourish at school and beyond.

Early and effective support to develop language and communication is vital whether a family wish to use spoken language, sign language or both.

For those families that want their child to learn to listen and talk, studies demonstrate how crucial it is for an effective early intervention programme, comprising optimally fitted hearing technology (i.e. hearing aids or implantable hearing technology, such as cochlear implants) together with effective early support for communication, needs to be in place as early as possible. Ideally within the first three and a half years to optimally support the brain development required for listening and spoken language development[30].

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The importance of listening

Children’s earliest experiences in life are foundational to brain development[31]. Optimal development of speech and language skills is preceded by developing optimal listening skills. Listening is dependent upon the stimulation and development of the auditory cortex in the brain. Throughout the first three years of life, children generally receive this stimulation in the form of interactions with their parents and this allows them to start learning language[32]. We now know there is a sensitive period during which the central auditory system remains maximally plastic.

By the age of three and a half, the human brain has completed 85% of its physical growth, meaning the first three years of life are critical for developing spoken language through listening[33]^,[34].  

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The importance of language

Approximately 50%[35] of the global population is multi-lingual, and we now know that excellent outcomes for spoken language can be achieved if children with hearing loss are fitted expertly with the most appropriate technology and if their families are provided with effective early intervention[36]. Research has shown that children who receive a cochlear implant below the age of 2 years old obtain higher mean receptive and expressive language scores than children implanted over the age of 2 years[37].

Optimal language acquisition depends upon engaged parents [38]^{,[39],[40],[41]}. Permanent hearing loss extending beyond the early school-age years without adequate auditory stimulation may result in significant re-organisation of the brain, with additional areas of the auditory cortex becoming involved in visual processing[33]^,[42]. If parents desire listening and spoken language outcomes for their child with hearing loss, a communication approach that emphasises early development of auditory brain pathways through listening and spoken language is necessary[37]^,[43].

Research also shows that language development before two years can predict educational outcomes[38]^,[44]and a population study of the emergent literacy skills of pre-schoolers found that children enrolled in early intervention before age 6 months had consistently higher scores in emergent literacy components over time compared with children enrolled at or after age 6 months[45].

Studies have also shown that early access to language is the decisive factor that drives development forward and provides good social-emotional functioning[46].

For families wanting their children to communicate using spoken language, this represents a neurological emergency to access meaningful sound as early as possible.

Auditory Verbal therapy is an early-intervention, family-centred, coaching programme which equips parents and caregivers with the tools to support the development of their deaf child’s speech through listening and has proven strong outcomes.

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AUDITORY VERBAL THERAPY – WHAT IS IT AND WHAT ARE THE OUTCOMES?

The term Auditory Verbal therapy was coined by the Alexander Graham (AG) Bell Association for the Deaf in the 1970s in the United States[47].

Auditory Verbal (AV) therapy is a robust, evidence-based, early intervention approach which supports deaf babies and children to learn to listen and talk and builds on the advantage of early diagnosis and the use of optimally- fitted hearing technology. It is delivered by qualified Auditory Verbal therapists (who are speech and language therapists, teachers of the deaf or audiologists who have undergone additional post graduate training) and has a strong peer-reviewed national and international evidence base. Auditory Verbal therapy as an approach to early intervention consistently delivers excellent outcomes.

Auditory Verbal therapy can be delivered either in-person, using telepractice or a hybrid of both methods. Telepractice is the delivery of services using telecommunication and online internet technology to remotely connect families to healthcare providers for interventions and assessments. 

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Evidence of the outcomes of Auditory Verbal therapy

There is a wealth of evidence, both from the UK and internationally, for the effectiveness of the Auditory Verbal approach with more research being published every year: studies from Australia, Denmark and the UK have shown that approximately 80% of pre-school aged children using an Auditory Verbal approach develop age-appropriate language. A systematic review published in 2021[48] and 2023[49] suggests that there is strong evidence of the effectiveness of Auditory Verbal therapy on the development of all linguistic skills.

Outcomes for a group of more than 200 children who have followed either an Auditory Verbal, a total communication or an oral (listening with an intentional support of lipreading) approach has found that children following an Auditory Verbal approach outperform children who have followed an oral or total communication approach on a number of measures including speech-language, speech intelligibility and literacy[50]. A further analysis of a greater number of Auditory Verbal interventions has been conducted to highlight both their effectiveness and to direct future research[51].

Other research, albeit more limited, has also indicated that there are benefits of choosing an Auditory Verbal approach, even after the optimal intervention age. For example, late identified children have shown social interaction skills comparable to their hearing peers after Auditory Verbal intervention[52]. In the UK, the Early Intervention Foundation (now Foundations[53], the What Works Centre for Children and Families), has independently assessed the evidence from the research base and included Auditory Verbal therapy in its guidebook for commissioners of Early Intervention programmes[54].

In addition, both national and international research has shown that children with hearing loss who, together with their parents, receive telepractice sessions perform at least as well in multiple measures of language outcomes as those who receive in-person sessions[55]. Parents have been found to be more engaged during teletherapy than traditional sessions[56]^,[57], and may also favour telepractice because of the reduced disruption to their everyday routine.  Telepractice also breaks down geographical barriers and facilitates global communication[58].

Delivery of individualised Auditory Verbal therapy programmes via telepractice is common practice in North America, Australasia and for practitioners at AVUK.  Parental attitudes and spoken language outcomes for children have been investigated in peer reviewed papers. An AVUK audit of parental experiences with telepractice found that approximately 80% of parents felt their child was making good progress with telepractice sessions, while 89% of therapists felt that telepractice sessions were equally or more effective than in-person sessions. With appropriate technology, telepractice is a viable means of providing Auditory Verbal therapy (Find out more about telepractice | Auditory Verbal)

 

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UK EVIDENCE ON OUTCOMES

Language development

In the UK, approximately 80% of all deaf children who spend at least two years on our programme at Auditory Verbal UK achieve age-appropriate language[59] and most attend mainstream school[60]. In addition, it was shown that 97% of deaf children without additional needs reached at least age-appropriate spoken language at the end of their Auditory Verbal therapy programme[60].

On average, deaf children with additional needs double their rate of language development whilst on the Auditory Verbal UK programme, and one in two children reach age-appropriate spoken language at the end of their programme[60].

This suggests that Auditory Verbal therapy continues to be an effective intervention even if a child has additional needs.

For children both with and without additional needs, the earlier they start the programme, the better the prognosis for language development[60]^,[61]. The target-focussed, collaborative approach adopted by Auditory Verbal practitioners[62] influences the outcomes for families of children who have hearing loss alone and of those who have additional challenges[63]. The holistic approach of Auditory Verbal intervention promotes best outcomes through transdisciplinary working.

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Literacy and Educational attainment

Evidence of the literacy outcomes attained by deaf children in the UK whose families had chosen a listening and spoken language approach and accessed Auditory Verbal therapy were collated by AVUK in 2022[64]. The research shows that most deaf children following the Auditory Verbal therapy programme are attaining educational outcomes on a par with hearing children. 

Over 80% of deaf children who have followed an Auditory Verbal approach, are reaching or exceeding nationally expected standards at Key Stage 1 for Reading, and Mathematics. Over 75% are attaining or exceeding these standards for Speaking and Listening and for Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling. At Key Stage 2, the percentages of children reaching or exceeding nationally expected standards were 81% and 78% for Reading and Mathematics, respectively.

The percentages of children reaching or exceeding nationally expected standards for Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling was over 75% and 76% for Science[64].

By considering these outcomes and the national attainment figures for, hearing children and, deaf children in both key stage one and two [below], we see that the percentage of graduates from AVUK achieving competency as measured by the national SATs is at a level at least equivalent to their hearing peers. This data includes data of children with additional needs.

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Outcomes for multi-lingual families

Not only are children in the UK being supported to develop effective spoken language skills in English, but in some families they are able to be multi-lingual and examples from children attending an AVUK programme include Lola who has learnt to speak in English, French and Spanish.

A research project conducted by Emily Wright in 2021-2022 from the University of Reading examined the beliefs of professionals on the ability of a deaf child to acquire two spoken languages and the advice professionals give to parents considering spoken language bilingualism for their deaf child. In an evolution of practice over the last decade, most participants believed deaf children can achieve spoken language bilingualism and would advise parents to speak in their home language, regardless of the parents’ English proficiency[65].

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INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE ON OUTCOMES

Research from the US and Australia shows that children in an Auditory Verbal therapy programme develop spoken language in line with their hearing peers[66]^{,[67], [68],[69],} and progress at the same rate for listening, spoken language[70], self-esteem, reading and mathematics as a matched group of children with normal hearing[71]. One specific study in 2021 found that good attendance at Auditory Verbal therapy sessions was a factor that led to better spoken language outcomes[72].

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Language Development

First Voice, a consortium of Australasian Early Intervention Centres (of which Auditory Verbal UK is an international member) collate and publish spoken language outcomes for graduates of Auditory Verbal programmes. The First Voice consortium has published the Sound Outcomes report for 2023 in which data was pooled over five Auditory Verbal programmes. Reporting on 219 children with hearing loss who graduated from First Voice centres in 2022, 82% of graduate children with hearing loss alone (i.e. without additional difficulties) achieved a standard score within or above the average range for typically hearing children[73]. The report also details a cost benefit analysis from 2019: the benefit to cost ratio for the community investment was approximately 4:1, a figure replicating Auditory Verbal UK’s own cost benefit analysis in 2016[74].

In Denmark, only 30%[75] of deaf children were achieving age-appropriate spoken language prior to a government funded pilot programme of Auditory Verbal therapy being implemented; in 2022, the Danish government announced that Auditory Verbal therapy would be included as part of the care pathway for all children up to five years of age with permanent hearing loss. Aiming for the goal of age-appropriate speech-language skills, the evaluation reported that 84% of the children achieved age-appropriate spoken language after three years of Auditory Verbal therapy. Furthermore, ‘among children with other difficulties, 75% achieved age-appropriate spoken language.’[75] In a second evaluation, children who received three years of Auditory Verbal therapy outperformed those receiving one year or no Auditory Verbal therapy when assessed on Core Language Scores and their Expressive Language Index[76].

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Literacy/Reading Development

Recent research (2018) investigating the early reading development of children with cochlear implants, who have followed an Auditory Verbal approach, has found that phonological awareness, the awareness of the sound structure of language, is a significant factor in reading development[77]. A 2020 study from the USA found that children with hearing loss aged from 5 to 9 years, who used a listening and spoken language approach, demonstrated reading skills within the average range for typically-hearing individuals through the use of hearing technology and appropriate intervention[78]. Regarding further chronological development of reading, research from Israel has shown that Auditory Verbal therapy graduates outperform adolescents and young people with hearing loss who were not rehabilitated via this approach, in Hebrew and Literature grades[79].

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Employment outcomes

In 2017 the First Voice network published a report on graduate outcomes – looking specifically at the outcomes of members that graduated between the 1993 to 2002 and therefore aged at the time of the report between 18 and 28 years. The results show that the respondents had achieved academic and employment rates equivalent to or better than those reported for the general Australian population.[80]

Lim et al (2018) conducted an international survey of deaf adults who had experienced Auditory Verbal therapy as a child, the results of 207 participants, across 16 countries, indicated that ‘the auditory-verbal graduates who completed their post-secondary education routinely moved on to a variety of employment opportunities and integrated into “mainstream” communities and society in general’.[81]

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Mental health, emotional and behavioural outcomes

The First Voice Network published research in 2011 stating that ‘there is a significant body of literature on the relationship between hearing loss, quality of life and disability…and that any intervention which improves hearing and enables more effective communication will indeed improve quality of life and/or reduce disability.’[82] In the 2017 cost-benefit analysis they were able to quantify a financial benefit of $8,402[83] per child per year on improved well-being for children enrolled on the First Voice Early Intervention Programme.

The Network’s report on graduate outcomes found that '84% of respondents have been involved at some stage in community activities or organisations. This result shows that a high percentage of respondents have chosen to participate in a range of social activities.’[84]

In the Danish evaluation of the 3-year AVT programme, ‘72%^[75]  of parents reported that their child had developed their social skills’. A recent 2025 study in Denmark also found that children with hearing loss, that attended a hospital-based Auditory Verbal intervention for 3 years, demonstrated the same emotional and behaviour problems, and the same social strengths as their hearing peers[85]. 

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PROFESSIONAL OUTCOMES - THE IMPACT OF TRAINING IN AUDITORY VERBAL THERAPY

Research shows that as well as improving outcomes for deaf children, professionals recognise significant growth in knowledge and skills as a result of pursuing training in Auditory Verbal therapy and qualifying as Listening and Spoken Language Specialists, accredited by the Alexander Graham Bell Academy – the worldwide certification body.[86]

Analysis of the development of knowledge and competence for professionals undertaking AVUK’s foundation training in Auditory Verbal practice (n=65) shows 98.5% agreed or strongly agreed that “This training has changed my everyday practice for the better."

Preliminary analysis in 2025 of the amalgamated data for the development of knowledge and competence for professionals undertaking AVUK’s advanced training in Auditory Verbal therapy (n=22), across nine areas of learning known as domains, shows highly significant increases in each of the areas (https://agbellacademy.org/certification/lsls-domains-of-knowledge).

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FAMILY OUTCOMES

The Auditory Verbal approach puts families at the centre of a programme which is focused on parent coaching. The Listening and Spoken Language Specialist Auditory Verbal Therapist (LSLS CertAVT) has been trained to develop individualised programmes to meet the needs of the child, the learning style of the parent(s) and to identify further emotional support where necessary.

A Danish study of parental perceptions of Auditory Verbal therapy found that almost all participants showed increased confidence in their ability to support the development of their child’s listening and spoken language as a result of participating in an Auditory Verbal therapy programme[87]. This finding is in line with the findings of Wolfe et al (2021)[88] This level of parental self-efficacy is consistent with that of the parents on our Auditory Verbal therapy programme at Auditory Verbal UK, with 97% of parents reporting that they felt confident in using Auditory Verbal techniques in their everyday life[54].

The First Voice review of interventions for children with hearing loss (2017) looked at a variety of communication interventions and states that research on the wellbeing of families with children who are deaf was considered by Liliegran et al. (2012). The authors analysed the impact Auditory Verbal therapy had on a caregiver’s level of empowerment. This study showed that the duration of Auditory Verbal therapy and level of empowerment felt by parents was positively correlated.[89]

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THE RATIONALE FOR CHANGE

The case for investment in Auditory Verbal therapy in the UK

The national and international evidence in this Research Paper demonstrates that deaf children and their families, in the UK, could benefit greatly from an investment into making Auditory Verbal therapy more widely available in the critical first few years of a child’s life. Yet the UK currently lags behind many other countries in providing investment in, and access to, Auditory Verbal therapy and there is a lack of awareness of what deaf children can achieve, with only 33%[90] adults believing a child born profoundly deaf can learn to speak as well as a child without hearing loss.[91] 

There are currently over 1,000 certified Auditory Verbal therapists worldwide, with this form of early intervention being government-funded in Australia, New Zealand and Denmark. It is also a mainstream approach in North America for enabling deaf children to listen, speak, and to achieve long term social and educational outcomes[59]. In 2022, following the successful government-funded pilot programme, Auditory Verbal therapy became part of the standard healthcare system in Denmark.

Sadly, in the UK over 90% of deaf children who could benefit from Auditory Verbal therapy are currently unable to access it. This is because there are currently only 35 Auditory Verbal therapists in the UK as of April 2025. Eleven of these therapists work for AVUK with others based in the National Health Service (NHS), public services, local authorities and in private practice. With full caseloads, these UK-based therapists can only provide therapy for less than 10% of the deaf children under 5 years old in the UK.

To increase access to specialist support, there needs to be more practitioners trained in Auditory Verbal practice working in public services who support deaf children across the UK.

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The investment needed

Auditory Verbal therapy has been shown to be a cost-effective approach, for every £1 invested into this early intervention programme, there is a £4[92] return on that child’s future.

Economic analysis shows that an investment of just over £2 million a year for the next 10 years, to train a small proportion of the current public sector workforce and embed at least 300 specialist therapists within the NHS and local services, while delivering direct support to the most vulnerable children and families, could transform services for deaf children. This investment will unlock £152 million of economic benefit, rising to £11.7 billion within the next 50 years, through improved quality of life, employment prospects, lower costs of schooling and avoided injuries[93].

We can and should raise the expectations of deaf children and unlock significant educational, social and economic benefits for the UK.

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CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

For deaf children and young people, the ability to communicate effectively with their parents/carers, peers, and external environment is a key factor in expressing their thoughts, opinions and emotions. Language and listening skills have also proved fundamental in attainment and educational outcomes as well as playing an important part in mental health, behavioural and emotional issues, as well as the early identification of these issues and implementation of appropriate support.

Currently the outcomes for deaf children are demonstrating that they are not developing  spoken language skills on a par with their hearing peers, despite the significant investment in early identification and state of the art hearing technology. Something is missing.

Auditory Verbal therapy has a robust, peer-reviewed evidence base for producing excellent outcomes in listening and spoken language for deaf children, transforming outcomes and opportunities. However, over 90% of families, who want their child to learn to listen and talk, are unable to access an Auditory Verbal therapist across the UK.

To allow all families of deaf children to have the option of accessing an Auditory Verbal therapy programme, via public services, close to where they live, investment is needed to train a small proportion of the existing workforce of speech and language therapists, teachers of the deaf and audiologists in this approach.

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For further information about the Auditory Verbal approach, please see: 

Case studies – Nasir, Maci, David, Lola, Ava, Orson

Telepractice

Family Courses

Training

HearUsNow campaign

References