When Ava was diagnosed as profoundly deaf after her newborn hearing screening her family were worried what her future would be like and that she wouldn’t be able to attend mainstream school. Now at 18 Ava has started her degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of York.

Her parents Chris and Lauren explained:

“After Ava’s diagnosis at three weeks old we worried about how she would cope in a hearing world. We had no experience of hearing loss and felt sad that things like listening to music or chatting with someone in a shop would be beyond her reach.  I remember listening to her baby mobile play ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ and just feeling so sad for her.

“We discovered that the cause of Ava’s hearing loss was Connexin-26, and she was a candidate for cochlear implants. She was implanted in her right ear at nine months and her left at 14 months. Around the same time Auditory Verbal therapy was recommended as an option for us.

“Auditory Verbal (AV) therapy at Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK) completely transformed our experience with our daughter’s deafness. Jacqueline[founder of AVUK] will forever be a hero to us; she was the first one who looked at us and said, ‘What are your dreams for your daughter?’ and then told us that, with the hearing technology and early and effective support, they were completely achievable.  And she couldn’t have been more correct.  We still tell Ava all about how wonderful Jacqueline was, and talk all about Catherine [an Auditory Verbal Therapist], who taught her how to talk non-stop!

“What I think was different about AV therapy were the goals and high expectations set for deaf children.  Initially the idea of therapy was terrifying; I pictured some sort of medical environment and a lot of formal exercises, and it was nothing like that.  Ava so looked forward to the visits to Beicester and to be honest, so did I.  We learned ‘simple’ ways to encourage Ava to find her voice, and how to be a little more patient and wait for her to speak, but it was all done through play.  And at home we used these techniques in our everyday life and the results were extraordinary.

“The outcome for Ava has been miraculous—it sounds dramatic but there is no other word. To go from being unable to hear a jet engine taking off next to you to learning Mandarin is unbelievable, and AV therapy at AVUK has been a huge part of that.

“I clearly remember thinking please, just let her go to a mainstream school and now we are busily packing for her to leave home and start university.

“When she started piano lessons aged six, I remember asking if she could hear the difference in the notes? She looked at me like I was crazy and said, ‘Of course Mummy, can’t you?’. She learned Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star quite early on and that meant such a lot to me.

“Ava has spoken at an event at the House of Commons, she has been interviewed live on BBC Breakfast calling for increased access to AV therapy and she has flourished alongside her hearing friends.

“But what I am most proud of are the things that all parents are probably proud of—Ava is extremely sociable and very kind. She is a good listener and is quick to intervene if someone needs her help.  I’m proud of how confident she is in most situations, definitely braver than I am when it comes to meeting new people. She is a wonderful young lady and so excited to be starting her degree at university.”

Ava’s parents Chris and Lauren