Our work in Scotland AVUK is proud to work in Scotland. We deliver Auditory Verbal therapy directly to families with deaf children who want them to learn to listen and speak and provide training in the Auditory Verbal approach to professionals working with deaf children. We are on a mission to enable every family who wants their child to learn to listen and talk will be able to access an Auditory Verbal programme through publicly funded services in their local area. AVUK Family Programme - for families with deaf children under 5 years old Auditory Verbal UK supports deaf babies and children to learn to listen and speak through Auditory Verbal therapy. It is the only charity in Scotland offering a specialist family centred Auditory Verbal programme which equips parents with all the tools they need to help their deaf child to process the sound they get from hearing technology, like cochlear implants, and develop their language in the first few years of their lives. We have one certified Auditory Verbal therapist based in Scotland who provides support to Scottish families, as well as telepractice sessions. “I am proud to be the first certified Auditory Verbal therapist in Scotland, currently based in Glasgow. I support deaf babies and children to learn to listen and speak with Auditory Verbal therapy so they have the same opportunities in life as their hearing friends. I am inspired every day by what the children on AVUK’s programme achieve – showing that with early and effective support, the opportunities and outcomes for deaf children can be transformed.” Mariavittoria Vallarino, Auditory Verbal Therapist in Scotland If you'd like to find out more about our programme, sign up to one of our free online webinars, where you can meet one of our Auditory Verbal therapists, take a look at our webpage, complete our enquiry form or call 01869 325000. Maci's story After Maci failed her newborn hearing screening the shock of her diagnosis was amplified for her family by long journeys from the family home in Shetland to see specialists on the mainland. “I just remember there being lots of words I had no idea what that meant, and we just felt very isolated,” said Mum Nicole. Maci had cochlear implant surgery at 14 months and Nicole heard about Auditory Verbal therapy and Auditory Verbal UK in a parents online forum. “We met Noel [Auditory Verbal Therapist] at an online session organised by the charity and I just knew this was the way we should go, and we have never looked back.” “We are absolutely over the moon with how AVUK and the therapy has supported Maci and us as a family. Maci is now two and a half and has only been on the programme for four months and has already smashed her six-month goals. For anyone thinking about Auditory Verbal therapy I would recommend it 110%.” Nicole - Maci's Mum. Read the full story here AVUK Professional Training - for professionals working with deaf children We provide training to professionals in Scotland to become a certified Auditory Verbal therapist through our in-depth online training package, internationally accredited by the Alexander Graham (AG) Bell Academy. Both our Foundation level ‘Working Through Audition’ course and our Advanced level ‘Auditory Verbal Principles in Everyday Practice’ are accredited by AG Bell Academy. At the end of the advanced training, professionals are ready to apply to the AG Bell Academy to sit the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist (LSLS) Cert AVT® examination to become a certified Auditory Verbal therapist. “The topics covered in the training were all extremely useful and the knowledge gained has made me a more effective Teacher of the Deaf. I was surprised by how quickly some children progressed with developing their listening and spoken language skills once the parents were using the strategies consistently. It was wonderful to see parents’ confidence increase and become advocates for their child at meetings and appointments.” Larissa McColgan, Auditory Verbal therapist in training and Teacher of the Deaf in Scotland Find out more about training and sign up for our upcoming events #HearUsNow campaign There are approximately 600 deaf children under 5 in Scotland. At the moment there are only two certified Auditory Verbal therapists in Scotland who provide limited support to Scottish families. They both work at AVUK. To ensure every deaf child in Scotland has the opportunity to access Auditory Verbal therapy, there needs to be 25 specialist Auditory Verbal therapists. It is estimated that £1.8 million is needed to train the required number of Auditory Verbal therapists so all deaf children have the option to access an Auditory Verbal programme and for Auditory Verbal UK to support the most vulnerable deaf children directly, whilst the specialist workforce is being trained. One way you can help to make this happen is by writing to your Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). Write to your MSP Donate As a charity, we rely on donations from our generous supporters to directly support deaf children and their families and train professionals in the Auditory Verbal approach. We don’t receive any central government funding. If you can, please donate today to create a sound future for deaf children. Donate now We are proud to be members of the Health and Social Care ALLIANCE Scotland. Manage Cookie Preferences