When Rian’s parents were told he wasn’t responding to sound as expected at his newborn hearing screening, their joy following his birth changed to worry and concern.

Rian was diagnosed as deaf weeks later. With no previous experience of deafness, his Mum Shami said: “We were worried about what the future would look like for him. Would he be able to talk? Listen? Have friends? Go to a mainstream school?”

The family began researching options to support Rian’s communication.

Shami said: “We knew we wanted Rian to be able to speak. During our research, we found out about Auditory Verbal therapy which supports deaf children to understand the sounds from their hearing technology and develop their listening and speaking skills.

“Rian was fitted with hearing aids at just five weeks old and we joined the Auditory Verbal (AV) therapy family programme at Auditory Verbal UK when he was just 4 months old.

“When his hearing deteriorated further, he underwent cochlear implant (CI) surgery at three years of age and the AV therapy continued to support not only Rian but the family as a whole.

“AVUK was really important for us at that stage of our life when we knew nothing about hearing loss. They were instrumental in holding our hands, giving us evidence-based information and reminding us it’s not about limitations, but unlocking his potential.

“The team at AVUK empowered us as parents, reminding us time and time again that Rian could do it and to trust the process. They gave us the tools to do that — from therapy techniques to peer support.

“Progress came slowly, but surely, and the biggest milestones were the smallest. Hearing me say his name, saying his first word and having a conversation. It was wonderful to see. You could see him coming alive. He found his voice.

“Rian calls his cochlear implants his ‘super-ears’. He wears them proudly every day and knows he’s got a superpower: he can hear amazing sounds all around him, but when he wants a quiet moment he can switch his super-ears off and have a little rest. He decides!

Rian graduated from the AV therapy programme at AVUK after three years with age-appropriate listening and spoken language skills.

“He is now thriving in mainstream school and doing better than I ever thought in my wildest dreams. He is the life and soul of the class with so many friends. He’s so bubbly, adventurous - a real chatterbox.

“He is already a great role model to his younger brother. He plays football, tennis, swimming and the piano. He loves dancing and being in front of the camera. He has been involved in a new CBBC programme as well as modelled for a High Street clothing brand and a campaign photo shoot for a major financial institution. Nothing stops him.

“His school and classmates are also so supportive and invested in his journey. One day part of his CI processor came off during PE and the whole class set out on a mission to find it. The teacher even made it a game — whoever found it got a prize.

“Without AV therapy Rian would have struggled to be able to listen and speak the way he does. Now he’s part of it all — the noise, the friendships, everything we thought he might miss.

“And without AVUK supporting all of us we would not be where we are. I never knew this is how good things could be. It’s a revelation. I thought deafness meant limitations. But it’s not about limitations — it’s about unlocking potential.

“People assume deaf children can’t talk, read, or write as well. But they can. Supported by AVUK, we set high standards and expectations for Rian breaking stereotypes. Why wouldn’t we?”

And Shami’s advice to other parents is clear: “Don’t worry. Do your research. Know your options. Make informed choices.”

 

Shami, Rian’s mum