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At the earliest stages of life, hearing is crucial for proper development. It connects children to their environment and builds the foundation of their verbal communication skills. While hearing loss is commonly associated with older patients, it can be present in young children and impact their ability to develop appropriate receptive and expressive language skills.
A hearing test and devices, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, can help children diagnosed with hearing loss, but their communication skills can benefit from the next stage in their hearing care: auditory-verbal therapy.
Also known as AVT, auditory-verbal therapy is a systematic habilitation approach to developing listening and spoken language skills with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. It is a continuation of their audiology care following the acquisition of hearing devices and typically performed with children during their formative years. In addition, AVT focuses on teaching children to listen and understand sound so they can communicate without the use of sign language or lip reading.
Unlike traditional speech therapy, which is primarily clinical in nature, auditory-verbal therapy relies on family connections to create the optimal learning environment for the child. The AVT facilitates intentional play activities between the child and their family members with an emphasis on listening. The auditory-verbal therapist guides the family and children during activities while tracking progress for future sessions. Most of the sessions will look like play, but there are opportunities to listen and learn language all throughout the day: making breakfast, getting dressed, driving in the car, singing, reading a book, and every moment in between.
While AVT is intended as an early intervention for children at the age of birth up to five years, there are other services associated with this therapy for patients who may be older. This can include:
For an older child (approximately six years of age and older) with single-sided deafness, isolated listening practice with one cochlear implant may be performed. The intended goal is to build the listening skills with the listening device so the patient can have functional benefits. Similar to AVT, the family members of the patient joins the teletherapy session, the cochlear implant is streamed directly with to a computer or device, and a hierarchy of listening goals are established.This form of therapy is more short-term compared to AVT with younger children at approximately 6 months to a year.
Similar to aural rehabilitation for pediatric patients with SSD, this therapy is performed with adults who have single-sided, bimodal, or bilateral deafness. After a six-month period of familiarizing themselves with their cochlear implant, the patient works with the AVT to follow a hierarchy of listening skills based on their word and speech understanding abilities. It is recommended that a communication partner attends the aural rehabilitation sessions with the patient to understand how daily practice can be performed outside of sessions.
Pediatric patients suspected of hearing loss will receive a hearing test from an audiologist. Concurrently, an otolaryngologist will rule out other conditions that may create temporary hearing loss such as earwax buildup, infections, or eustachian tube dysfunction.
From there, patients who have hearing loss will be fitted with a hearing device based on their audiologist's recommendation. Hearing aids are fitted and programmed by an audiologist. A cochlear implant includes surgery by an otolaryngologist then ongoing programming by an audiologist. If a family desires their child to communicate with listening and spoken language, their audiologist may recommend an auditory-verbal therapist who is aware of their condition and the duration of time with the device.
In addition to healthcare professionals, auditory-verbal therapists often collaborate with early intervention providers to capitalize on a young child's neural plasticity. When a child reaches school age, educational audiologists, teachers, and school-based therapists can be included on the child's care team. If a child has additional services, such as physical or occupational therapy, the AVT can foster interprofessional collaboration to promote a listening first environment during intervention sessions.
The immediate benefits of auditory-verbal therapy are greater listening and spoken communication skills, which provide more success in school, better interactions with peers and adults, and improved self-esteem for older children. By performing this therapy among family members, these patients can grow these skills in a realistic manner.
Your child’s hearing difficulties can be improved through a collaborative approach to care involving their physician, audiologist, and auditory-verbal therapist. CEENTA believes in the powerful interplay between these three specialists and now offers AVT for patients in the Charlotte area.
To schedule your child’s session with Tegan DeMarcus, MS, CCC-SLP, CEENTA's auditory-verbal therapist practicing at our SouthPark office, call 704-295-3300.
