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A collaboration introducing Speech and Language Therapy postgraduate students to Auditory Verbal therapy has received fantastic feedback and is now set to be repeated with a new group of MSc SLT students.

“Although we were not able to meet in person, I am thrilled this collaboration was able to go ahead virtually last year. The energy and the engagement of the students has been incredible and it has been a joy to facilitate their ongoing learning and professional development in the field of hearing loss.” – Emma Burton, AVUK Auditory Verbal therapist.

 

Over the past year Auditory Verbal UK has been delivering regular, online, interactive workshops on hearing loss and Auditory Verbal therapy to a cohort of Speech and Language Therapy postgraduate students, at MSc level.

Auditory Verbal therapist (AVT) Emma Burton and Consultant Clinical Audiologist Dr Josephine Marriage will now greet a new cohort of 21 MSc SLT students, who began their course in January 2021; with the first repeat session on Functional Listening taking place in March 2021. In addition, all students will have the opportunity to extend and deepen their practical skills through clinical placement opportunities in April 2021. By introducing students to Auditory Verbal therapy, we hope to raise expectations of what is possible for children with hearing loss, increase the number of Auditory Verbal Therapists in the UK and ensure that Auditory Verbal therapy is accessible to all families who want a listening and spoken language outcome.

To commemorate the completion of this first year of collaboration, Melanie Packer, Placement Lead and Senior Lecturer, had this to say:

“We have greatly appreciated the significant contribution that that Auditory Verbal UK has brought to the MSc Speech and Language Therapy here at Birmingham City University (BCU). Working with partners within the health sector is essential to student learning.

“In all cases the students have benefited from the very high standard of teaching that has been provided. These opportunities have given students invaluable insight into the specialist approach and techniques used by the team”.

 

 The feedback from students themselves was equally as positive:

 

“It made me want to find out more about AV strategies and have a go at practising them” “it helps to see how the methods work in reality”

 

“Learning about the wide range of auditory-verbal strategies used in sessions with children who have hearing loss was really useful”.

 

“Thank you, for your passion, your interactive-ness, and for encouraging lots of people to speak!”

AVUK is excited to continue this professional and educational relationship with Birmingham City University through the next year’s cohort and beyond.