REPORT 2010 - Telethon Speech and Hearing

Telethon Speech + Hearing 2010 Annual Report
Frequently Asked
Questions
What are the causes of deafness?
There are many different causes, including injury,
disease and genetic defects, and deafness can
range from mild to profound.
What is Auditory-Verbal Therapy?
Auditory-Verbal Therapy promotes listening
and speaking as a way of life for children who
are deaf or hard of hearing. The goal of the
Auditory-Verbal approach is for these children
to be confident in classrooms and living
environments to facilitate their independence
in mainstream society.
How does Auditory-Verbal
Therapy work?
The Auditory-Verbal approach is based upon a logical
and critical set of guiding principles. This enables
children who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn to use
even minimal amounts of amplified residual hearing or
hearing through electrical stimulation (cochlear implants)
to listen, process verbal language and speak.
The principles of Auditory-Verbal practice are:
• Promote early diagnosis of hearing impairment
in newborns, infants, toddlers and children,
followed by immediate audiologic management
and Auditory-Verbal Therapy
• Recommend immediate assessment and
use of appropriate, state-of-the-art hearing
technology to obtain maximum benefits of
auditory stimulation
• Guide and coach parents to help their child
use hearing as the primary sensory modality in
developing spoken language without the use of
sign language or emphasis on lip-reading
• Guide and coach parents to become the
primary facilitators of their child’s listening
and spoken language development through
active consistent participation in individualised
Auditory-Verbal Therapy
• Create environments that support listening for
the acquisition of spoken language throughout
the child’s daily activities
2