Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT) is a highly specialized early intervention program that teaches deaf or hard-of-hearing children how to listen and process spoken language through hearing technology, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. The ultimate goal is to help them speak and communicate at the same level as their hearing peers.
Rather than working exclusively one-on-one with the child, therapists coach parents and caregivers during play-based sessions. Parents learn how to integrate listening, thinking, and speaking strategies into everyday life at home.
It focuses on stimulating the auditory cortex (the listening part of the brain) so the child learns to make sense of sound, rather than relying on lip-reading or visual cues.
AVT requires hearing devices to be fitted properly and working optimally at all times.