AUDITORY VERBAL THERAPY (AVT)

At a workshop organised by Outloud in Tampere recently, a group of therapists and researchers who specialize in childhood hearing impairment explored, discussed and even witnessed some of what Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT) has to offer. This approach is founded on maximizing the astonishing auditory learning potential offered to children by early identification and intervention combined with state of the art hearing technology. 

The other defining feature of AVT is putting the children’s parents at the center of the therapy program, by offering them regular coaching sessions, together with their child, so that they are the people who make the difference. With intensive support in communicating, playing, talking, singing, and doing things together, they can bring their child into the listening and speaking world that surrounds them.

Elizabeth Tyszkiewicz, an experienced LSLS Cert AVT from the UK, led a two-day course, with the participation of some delightful young cochlear implant users. There is now strong interest in Finland, and some ideas for training initiatives were discussed. It will be important to have a general information meeting to which families, pre-school workers, teachers and others are invited, so that people can decide for themselves what they think the benefits of AVT may be.

Here is one opinion from an experienced parent in the UK: “AVT is a fun, intensive approach that requires a collaborative effort from therapist, parents, and others involved with the child. At times, it felt quite daunting, but has certainly paid off for us.  It can be integrated into everyday life without much effort as it is an excellent method of developing and improving understanding and communication.”.

To find out more,  check these websites: www.avuk.org,  www.agbell.org, www.jtc.org, www.evdcweb.org or, even better, keep an eye on the Outloud website for the next AVT event in Finland!

Written by: Elizabeth Tyszkiewicz

ps. Two day intensive course will be organized 26th-27th of January 2018 in Tampere