Auditory Verbal UK

22/01/2026

Family Survey deadline extended to Monday 2nd February!

📢 Calling all parents and carers! If your child is currently part of our family programme or graduated within the past year, we’d love your input.

📝 It takes approximately 20 minutes to complete our 2026 Family Survey, and all responses are anonymous.

Your feedback is essential in helping us shape Auditory Verbal therapy sessions and strengthen our family programme, ensuring we provide the best possible support for deaf children and their families.

✨ Please share your thoughts before Monday 2nd February so we can continue improving our services. bit.ly/4aPsEiA

Thank you!

21/01/2026

Calling all professionals working with deaf children!

Join our free online introduction to developing listening and spoken language with deaf children.

Date: Wednesday 11 February

Time: 13:00 – 16:00

What you’ll learn:

• The core principles of Auditory Verbal practice

• Practical AV strategies for preschool deaf children

• A guided observation of a full AV therapy session

n up here: https://www.avuk.org/Event/introduction-to-auditory-verbal-therapy-free-taster-session-for-professionals-feb

British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People

British Association of Teachers of the Deaf

20/01/2026

🌟 Meet Tommie – today he is thriving after a difficult beginning. Here his mum Kirstie shares their story:

“When Tommie was born three months early at 29 weeks his condition meant he needed three operations before he was two months old. At that time his hearing was probably the last thing on our mind.

“When he had his newborn hearing screening three months after his birth we were told that the issues highlighted were probably because he was premature and we shouldn’t worry.

“We had more tests with inconclusive results – by the time Tommie was three and a half he had had eight hearing tests. Finally when Tommie was four his profound hearing loss was confirmed and we felt relieved that at last we had a diagnosis.”
Sadly Tommie’s late diagnosis was because of failures in NHS children’s hearing services. These serious failing were recently highlighted in the Kingdon Review.
Kirstie continues; “Thanks to the intervention and referral from the private audiologist Tommie received hearing aids and we began the process of getting his cochlear implants. He was five and a half when he was eventually implanted – we know that the earlier deaf babies have hearing technology the better for them.

“Through our private audiologist we also heard about Auditory Verbal therapy and Auditory Verbal UK and the support we have had has been unbelievable. Our Auditory Verbal therapist has been amazing, so supportive and understanding about Tommie’s needs and ours as a family.

“It has been and still is a lot of hard work. When Tommie’s friends were all learning to read and write he was learning to speak.

“We’re now preparing for the big transition to secondary school next year, which feels daunting, but I know we’ll keep advocating for what’s best for Tommie. We’re now fortunate to have access to excellent local services, a fantastic school community, and the transformative support from Auditory Verbal therapy that has helped Tommie find his voice — along with the ongoing guidance from the team at AVUK.”

Find out more about the AVUK family programme: https://www.avuk.org/joining-the-programme

16/01/2026

🌟 Meet Grace!

Shortly after Grace was born in 2018, she was diagnosed as deaf - and her mum, Rhian, shares “It was a complete shock at first, with no family experience of deafness. Grace has an older brother, and I guess a mother’s instinct led me to know pretty instantly that I thought Grace was deaf within a few days of her being born. She was unwell, so there were other complications, but she wasn’t reacting to sounds, not flinching at loud noises...that kind of thing. The team at the hospital were amazing. They acted quickly and we were seen within a month at the Children’s Audiology unit, University Hospital of Wales.

“I think that was the most difficult experience to go through. When you’re told your child is profoundly deaf, you feel completely helpless.

“I did some research myself back in 2020 – I hadn’t heard of Auditory Verbal (AV) therapy before, and I was desperately searching for something that would help my child develop her speech just like her hearing peers. My concern was that she wouldn’t be able to communicate with the hearing world or fit in.

“Her Speech and Language Therapist remembered me mentioning AV therapy… thankfully the rest is history.

After three years being supported by AVUK on their family-centred AV therapy programme Grace graduated in July 2025 on a wonderful day of celebration.

“We are so incredibly proud of Grace and what she has achieved… Simply being able to use her voice to express herself is amazing.

“She is such a wonderful little girl who loves writing, colouring, drawing, dressing up, singing and dancing – just like her hearing friends.”

💛 Read Grace’s inspiring story: https://www.avuk.org/grace-and-rhians-story

15/01/2026

Are you a parent of a child currently on our programme or graduated in the last year?

Have your say in our 2026 Family Survey by Thursday 22 January 👇

bit.ly/4aPsEiA

We want to thank you in advance for your time to complete this survey and for sharing your experiences with us.

14/01/2026

🚀 Have you ever dreamed of blasting off into space?

✨ Sam, who is deaf, wears cochlear implants and learnt to listen and talk with Auditory Verbal therapy when he was younger, wants to be an astrophysicist and loves space.

He had the incredible opportunity to meet Astronaut Tim Peake and chat about the wonders of space exploration, curiosity, and following your dreams beyond the stars. 🌌

Sam is challenging perceptions of what deaf children can do and achieve and proving that with early and effective support, he can have the same opportunities in life as his hearing peers.

👀 Don’t miss this inspiring moment—watch the full clip here:

FYI visits the UK Space Conference in Manchester to learn what the future holds for the UK’s space industry. SUBSCRIBE to our Y...

13/01/2026

🗳️ Have you cast your vote yet? Our film ‘First Day’ is nominated in the Charity Film Awards 2026!

The film tells the inspiring story of Rian, who was born deaf and learned to listen and speak with the support of Auditory Verbal UK as he prepares for his first day at school.

👉 Help us celebrate Rian’s incredible achievements and raise awareness of Auditory Verbal therapy by voting here: https://smileycharityfilmawards.com/films/first-day

Voting closes 30 January!

The Smiley Charity Film Awards is the world’s biggest campaign to promote cause-based films. Nearly half a million members of the public have voted in the…

12/01/2026

🤝 We’re proud to announce our new partnership with Swinton Insurance!
🌟 At checkout, customers can now choose to make a donation to our work supporting more deaf babies and children to have the same opportunities in life as their hearing peers.
Together, we’re creating a sound future for deaf children. 💛
Thank you Swinton and your customers for your generous support!

08/01/2026

📢 Calling all parents and carers! If your child is currently part of our family programme or graduated within the past year, we’d love to hear from you.

✨ At Auditory Verbal UK, your journey with us matters deeply. Each year, we invite families to share their experiences so we can reflect, improve, and continue delivering the very best support.

📝 Our 2026 Family Survey is now live! It takes approximately 20 minutes, is completely anonymous, and gives you the chance to tell us—in your own words—how we’ve supported you and where we can do better.

📅 The survey closes on Thursday 22nd January. 👉 Complete it here: bit.ly/4aPsEiA

💛 Thank you for helping us shape our services for current and future families.

Need support to take part? We can provide the survey in paper format, in-centre, over the phone, or in an alternative language. Just reply to this post or call us on 01869 229301.

07/01/2026

We need your support!

🎬 Our film ‘First Day’ has been entered into the Smiley Charity Film Awards 2026!

🌟 The film tells the inspiring story of Rian, who was born deaf and learned to listen and speak with the support of Auditory Verbal UK as he prepares for his first day at school.

Rian’s story shows what’s possible with early and effective support — friendships, laughter and learning.

Help us celebrate Rian’s incredible achievements and raise awareness of Auditory Verbal therapy by voting for our film.

👉 Vote here: https://smileycharityfilmawards.com/films/first-day

24/12/2025

Season’s Greetings to all of our followers and supporters from all of us at Auditory Verbal UK ⛄ 🎄

We are now closed until Friday 2nd January. You can still email us at info@avuk.org during the holidays, and we will get back to you as soon as we can in the New Year.

If you are a parent or caregiver enquiring about our Auditory Verbal therapy family programme for your deaf child, please use our enquiry form: https://www.avuk.org/forms/family-enquiry

22/12/2025

Shami and Rian share their heartfelt thanks in our final video. 🙏

The response to their story has been amazing — but we still need your help.

There’s still time left to donate and support more deaf children and their families this Christmas. 💙 🎄

Donate now: https://www.avuk.org/donate-now-to-support-deaf-children?utm_source=social&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=%3D&utm_id=Winter

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