USC Auditory-Verbal Therapy Program

The University of South Carolina Speech and Hearing Center offers weekly Auditory-Verbal Therapy child/parent sessions. The Center is equipped with skilled clinicians trained in the area of Auditory-Verbal Therapy. For more information or to schedule an evaluation call 777-2614.

What is Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT)?

The mission of this therapeutic approach is to provide individuals with hearing loss the ability to listen and to use verbal communication with the use of hearing and to become independent, participating, and contributing citizens in the mainstream society. (adapted from the AVI position statement, 2001)

AVT develops spoken language and auditory skills for deaf children by teaching a child to use the hearing provided by a hearing aid or a cochlear implant.

Therapy is individualized and parents are actively involved in the therapy session in order to facilitate carryover of skills into other environments. A goal of AVT is for hearing and active listening to become an integral part of a child’s communication, recreation, socialization, education and work.

How is Auditory-Verbal Therapy different from other kinds of speech therapy?

Many therapists provide services to improve communication skills of children with hearing impairment. Some therapists teach American Sign Language, while others use total communication, cued speech, or other techniques. Auditory- Verbal Therapy does not use sign language. Therapy is centered around meaningful, fun activities to maximize the child’s use of hearing as a primary sense for speaking and learning at school.

Who provides Auditory-Verbal services?

Certified Auditory-Verbal therapists are specially trained for providing this type of therapy. Some therapists are not certified but do follow the principles of the Auditory-Verbal philosophy. Talking to a prospective therapist will let you know his or her beliefs and practices. Meeting children and parents from various programs will also help you assess the appropriateness of a program for your child.

Support Groups:

Teen Time!

Teen Time began when families expressed concerns about their “teen” struggling in the social aspects of school. The clinical instructors at the Center decided to provide a support group for teens. “Teen Time” (aka “Party Time” to the teens) is a unique, special time for teenagers with hearing loss or other speech and language delays to practice their skills in a supporting, fun environment. But most importantly, these teens get to develop friendships! After our first “teen time,” one teen told her teacher at school that she “met her first friend” at the party! After hearing that, we knew this was a special event that needed to be continued each semester.

The CIGAR Group

(Cochlear Implant Group for Auditory Rehabilitation) is a weekly support/recovery group for adults with hearing loss who use a cochlear implant and/or hearing aids. There are two main purposes for this group (1) to provide support by visiting with other individuals with hearing loss and (2) to strengthen their auditory skills using their amplification device in a group setting by participating in various activities.

“Listening Tots”

“Listening Tots” is a language stimulation group for children 2 and 3 year old. A fun, language-enriched environment is provided for children with language delays. This group meets for 1 hour per week, and the session is designed to simulate a preschool setting. Activities include “book time,” “song time,” “arts/craft time,” and “center time.” This group also provides family/parents an opportunity to gain support from each other.