When Tiggy didn’t pass her newborn hearing screening her parents thought it was probably just fluid. But at four weeks old, after further tests, her parents were told their daughter was profoundly deaf.

Mum Katie, who had no previous experience of deafness, said: “I just thought she is never going to hear her name, never going to say Mummy.”

Immediately Katie started researching options available to the family as her way of coping with the diagnosis and she explained they very quickly found out about Auditory Verbal therapy online.

“Reading about other deaf children who had been supported to listen and speak made us think that this could be the right approach for us as a family,” said Katie.

They reached out to charity Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK) and also met with other families with deaf children who have been supported to develop spoken language on the family-centred Auditory Verbal therapy programme.

 Auditory Verbal therapy is not currently available on the NHS where the family live in Hampshire which Katie describes as “shocking”, so together with her family and friends they have been fundraising to ensure Tiggy can access the support to help her learn to listen and talk.

After her cochlear implant surgery at the beginning of 2025 and activation of the implants a month later, Tiggy began her fortnightly Auditory Verbal therapy sessions at AVUK.

After just a few months of Auditory Verbal therapy, Katie explained: “We have already seen a difference and Tiggy is definitely recognising her name and so much more. And just as important we have been supported to understand that Auditory Verbal therapy is about training us as parents to support and coach Tiggy.

“AVUK offers so much more than the therapy programme. The team have all been so informative and helpful and I’m really enjoying all the things I am learning to support Tiggy on her journey to develop spoken language.

“It is really early days for us – it is definitely a marathon not a sprint – but her development since we began the programme is obvious. Thank goodness for Auditory Verbal therapy. I know it is going to help us achieve what we want for Tiggy which is for her to have all the same opportunities as her elder sister who is hearing.”

Katie – Tiggy’s Mum