Auditory Verbal therapy (AVT) is a highly specialist programme in which the AV therapist guides and coaches parents to develop the skills to maximise their deaf child’s speech and language development.
Workshops
I offer a range of workshops for parents of children with a hearing loss and/or the professionals who work with the families.
The emphasis in these workshops is on developing and building Listening and Spoken Language.
Please do get in touch if you would like more information
Telephone: +44 (0) 7534 246 244
Email: hello@rosieavt.ie
Parents
In AVT, parents are the cornerstone of any work to be done so the therapist coaches the parent(s) to ensure their child makes the best possible use of the hearing technology; coaching equips parents to check and troubleshoot it in collaboration with their audiology team.
AV therapists use daily routines, play or any other fun activities to give parents the tools to develop their child’s listening and spoken language.
AVT is highly collaborative so every session is carried out with parent(s) and therapist. This will maximise a child’s access to sound so that listening and spoken language skills can be developed to the maximum possible.
AVT stimulates auditory brain development thus enabling children who have any level or type of hearing loss who wear hearing aids and/or cochlear implants to make sense of the sound they are learning to listen to through their hearing technology.
Our Aim
Hearing Potential
The aim of AVT is that a child will develop a listening attitude so that paying attention to the sound around him or her becomes automatic.
Hearing and listening become an integral part of communication, play, education and eventually work.
The key to AVT is that what is learnt in the session is carried over into everyday life. An hour a day, or week or fortnight in AVT will never be sufficient – the most important aspect of AVT is that it is carried over into everyday life.
“When auditory-verbal practice is carried out with the necessary thoughtfulness, expertise, guidance and love, most of these children develop excellent conversational competence” Daniel Ling, 1994, Eatabrooks W., “frequently asked questions about auditory verbal practice”, San Diego, Plural Publ, 2018
Our Options
What are the communication options for deaf children?
There are a number of different options for the parents of a deaf child or baby, including sign language, bilingualism, Cued Speech, Total Communication, oral speech & language therapy and Auditory Verbal therapy.
Parents have a lot to consider in the early days after diagnosis as to which approach is best for them in their family.
AVT is the approach that is most focused on the child working through audition.
Our Help
How I can help!
My main work is with early years from babies to 6 years old. The earlier the better! So if you have a baby who has recently been diagnosed with a hearing loss at whatever type or level, do get in touch!
AVT sessions are usually held once a fortnight or once a month.
I like to be able to liaise with the professionals involved with your child – as long as you give me permission and if the professional concerned is willing to work with me.
Please contact me for details of my prices or for any further information.
Please note: all my workshops are based in Auditory-verbal principles and are specifically aimed towards the early years 0 – 6 years old.
B.A. (Hons) LSLS Cert. AVT
From Rosie
“I am a mum of 4 grown up children all of whom are married. I am also a proud grandmother and I take great delight in seeing and enjoying my grandchildren as often as I can. I therefore approach my work as an AV Therapist as a mum and a grandmother. I am also a highly qualified and experienced teacher of the deaf. I am currently the only Auditory-verbal therapist in Ireland, north and south. I travel to Dublin several times a month. My longing and hope is that more professionals will join me.
– Rosie Gardner
Calendar
Our Upcoming Events & Workshops
22
APRIL
ZOOM: LOCKDOWN LITERACY and LSL: DEVELOPING SOCIAL SKILLS WHILE STAYING AT HOME!
I hope to give some simple strategies
we can use to help. This can start at a
very early age – so do join us on the
22nd April for a look at Lockdown
Literacy whatever age your child is!
TBC
AUGUST
WEBINAR: SURVIVING OR THRIVING IN A MAINSTREAM SCHOOL SETTING?
This webinar is designed to give some practical skills and knowledge to teachers and SNAs to help a deaf child with any level of hearing loss not only to survive in mainstream but to thrive.
TBC
AUGUST
WEBINAR: SURVIVING OR THRIVING IN A PRE-SCHOOL SETTING?
This webinar is designed to give some practical skills and knowledge to teachers and managers in pre-schools to help a child not only to survive but to thrive.
Rosie's Blog
Growing your Child’s Brain
Is your mobile phone distracting you from being with your child?
Is your mobile phone distracting you from being 100% there for your child?'PARENTS SHOULD BE LESS WORRIED ABOUT THEIR CHILD'S SCREEN TIME AND MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR OWN!" Is your mobile device distracting you from your child? Technoference is a new word for me -...
The dangers of your mobile phone
Is your mobile phone distracting you from being 100% there for your child?'PARENTS SHOULD BE LESS WORRIED ABOUT THEIR CHILD'S SCREEN TIME AND MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR OWN!" Is your mobile device distracting you from your child? Technoference is a new word for me -...
Including the child in group discussions in pre-school
Including the child in group discussionsIt can sometimes be difficult for a child who is using hearing technology to be able to listen and follow what other children in a group discussion contribute. If you have a soundfield system, it usually comes with a pass-around...
Parent’s Feedback
Meet Meabh and her mum, Annie
Rosie has been working with my daughter Méabh and me for the past four years. Méabh is now six and has bilateral cochlear implants. Méabh has done well with her implants since week one, and was always on course to achieve “average” language as compared with her hearing peers. However, as her parents, we always felt she was capable of far more than “average” and we needed support to help her unlock this potential. From day one, Rosie “got” us and we felt that she would work with us to help our far-from-average daughter flourish. And we were right!
As a parent, I really appreciate Rosie’s beautiful gentle manner and personable approach. She offers her advice and suggestions in a constructive and sympathetic way, so you don’t feel that you have been failing your child by doing the wrong thing, or feel embarrassed that you have fallen short of the mark. I feel that Rosie is starting from a position of understanding that parents are doing their best, but with coaching, that best can be even better. This helps me to accept her advice in good spirit. I look forward to seeing what Méabh can achieve through Rosie’s guidance and expertise.
– Annie, Dublin
Pamela, Ballymena
We started AVT in 2017 and it was the best decision we could have made. Our son was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome and bilateral profound hearing loss. After 18 months of hearing aid usage and getting nowhere fast with him we started searching for other ways to help him speak and communicate with us as this is our greatest desire.
Rosie came into our life as an answer to prayer and we believe wholeheartedly that through AVT and Rosie’s deliverance and guidance of it that it has been the fundamental turning point for our son and it has helped him learn to listen to sounds, make sense of sounds and ultimately begin to verbally communicate with us, all in a fun manner, through play. We are absolutely delighted with his progress and could not speak highly enough of Rosie. Rosie brings what no other therapist has, professionalism, wealth of experience, caring nature that goes beyond the child to even encompass nurturing of the parents in this journey (who are often forgot about). We are so blessed to have Rosie teaching our son and we look forward to our fortnightly AVT sessions because they are so much fun.
Jean, Mullingar
Our son, William, was delivered at 30 weeks because he was the recipient of twin to twin transfusion. He was identified as having a bilateral hearing problem on screening at 4 months old, with bilateral auditory neuropathy, and has cochlear implants since August 2016.
As a parent and a professional who has worked with children with speech and language disorders I researched best practise when working with children who are deaf. After our diagnosis, I was very fortunate to learn about Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT). I believed in the thinking behind AVT and that this specialised type of therapy could work for our son. Rosie Gardner was recommended to us by a voluntary group of parents who set up a charity group called Our New Ears (ONE).
As a parent, I felt very empowered during the lessons because of the manner in which Rosie structured them to allocate time at the beginning to discuss goals and at the end to assess outcomes of that particular lesson.
This has been very emotional to write as a parent because we went through some very dark days in the beginning until we met Rosie. Rosie is more than a therapist, a mentor and a counsellor. She is a committed, modest lady who has transformed William’s life by her patience, passion and expertise. We are so grateful to have Rosie in our lives and grateful that she invested so much time and energy in becoming an AVT therapist. We can never thank her enough for how she has enabled William to soar, and indeed reach for the stars.
It has been a privilege to write this about Rosie and may this magnificent lady continue to sprinkle her magic dust far and wide!
Catriona, Newry
AVT has helped my daughter improve her clarity of speech which she has struggled with, pinpointing what area we need to work on and the exercises Rosie provides has made definite improvement.
Rosie is a wonderful therapist who has a wealth of knowledge from years of working with deaf children but she also has a passion to help our kids achieve which is invaluable.
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