Dominic and Shamim Byrne - Nottinghamshire

Dominic and Shamim Byrne daughter, Sarosha, who was born in 2000:

“There was no hearing screening at birth at that time and we didn’t know Sarosha had a profound bilateral sensorineural loss until she was around nine months old. She got a unilateral cochlear implant at 23 months of age and a second CI just before she was seven. We started auditory verbal therapy (AVT) at about 12 months and continued until Sarosha was nearly four. It’s been fantastic and we’ve got so much to be grateful to AVUK for.

“Outcomes have been really good. Sarosha started school with better than age-appropriate listening and speech. Thanks to AVT and the CI, she had more than closed the gap between her and her hearing peers, and she started at local mainstream primary school without any particular special needs. She’s now in her late teens, having obtained excellent A level results is studying English and Psychology in one of the top ten university's in the UK. AVT didn’t end when we stopped regular sessions. The support and awareness it gave us has meant we’ve been well-equipped to help Sarosha get the listening environment she needs throughout education."

The family is based in Nottinghamshire. If you would like to request to speak with Dominic and Shamim about their experience, please email [email protected]