New analysis shows that 98.5% of professionals agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “This training has changed my everyday practice for the better” when reflecting on their experience of undertaking our foundation training in Auditory Verbal therapy (65 participants).

Dr Sarah Hogan, Research Coordinator and Senior Auditory Verbal therapist at Auditory Verbal UK, shared these compelling findings at the recent British Cochlear Implant Group Annual Meeting 2025 in London.

Whilst there is overwhelming national and international evidence on the effectiveness and outcomes of Auditory Verbal therapy for young deaf children – around 80% of deaf children following Auditory Verbal approach can achieve age-appropriate spoken language – the numbers of professionals who have certified as Auditory Verbal therapists within the NHS and local authorities remains low, resulting in inequality of access for deaf children and their families.

Auditory Verbal therapy training supports speech and language therapists, teachers of the deaf and audiologists to develop their knowledge and competencies in optimising spoken language outcomes for deaf children providing-:

• A foundation for improved outcomes in education and in social and emotional well-being for deaf children
• A consolidated base on which to build the skills needed in parent-coaching
• The opportunity to maximise the benefits of hearing technologies

To become a certified Auditory Verbal therapist, professionals undergo three years additional post-graduate training, alongside their current role.

Early results looking at the development of professional knowledge and competencies found professionals undertaking the advanced training in Auditory Verbal practice showed highly significant increases in the effectiveness of therapeutic behaviours in all nine learning domains.

These results show that training in Auditory Verbal therapy practice is highly effective in improving knowledge and competencies of practitioners, providing the bedrock for improved listening and spoken language outcomes for young deaf children. 

This new research builds on existing evidence which 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.

In addition, in a global survey of self-perceived benefit of training in AV practice, 95% of respondents (LSLS Cert AVTs) agreed with the statement: “I have experienced significant growth in my knowledge and skills of listening and spoken language and related areas.”

To find out more about training in Auditory Verbal therapy visit: https://www.avuk.org/avt-training

Or join one of our upcoming free online short courses: https://www.avuk.org/Pages/Events/Category/book-training