WHAT IS AUDITORY VERBAL THERAPY?

Auditory Verbal practice is the application of techniques, strategies, conditions and

procedures which promote optimal acquisition of spoken language through
listening, which becomes a major force in nurturing the development of the
childs personal, social, and academic life.

- Warren Estabrooks, M. Ed. Dipl. Ed. Deaf, Cert, AVT

An Auditory-Verbal Therapist uses a set of guiding principles established by the
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (formerly
Auditory-Verbal International, Inc.) to help a family learn to facilitate speech and
language skills using an auditory verbal approach to communication.

Alexander Graham Bell (AG Bell) Academy for Listening and Spoken Language
www.agbell.org/

COMMUNICATION APPROACHES
The communication approach a child utilizes is a family choice. It is the role of the
speech language pathologist (SLP) to provide the family with resources and
information about all communication approaches. The SLP should never discuss
personal opinions or attempt to persuade a family to choose a particular
communication approach.
Low visual, high audition

High visual, low audition

ASL/SEE

Total Comm

Cued
Speech

Auditory
Verbal

Spoken
Language

The communication approach should always be a family decision!

AVT GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1. Promote early diagnosis of hearing loss in newborns, infants, toddlers,
and young children, followed by immediate audiologic management and
Auditory-Verbal therapy.
2. Recommend immediate assessment and use of appropriate, state-of-theart hearing technology to obtain maximum benefits of auditory
stimulation.
3. Guide and coach parents to help their child use hearing as the primary
sensory modality in developing listening and spoken language.
4. Guide and coach parents to become the primary facilitators of their
child's listening and spoken language development through active
consistent participation in individualized Auditory-Verbal therapy.
5. Guide and coach parents to create environments that support listening
for the acquisition of spoken language throughout the child's daily
activities.

http://www.agbell.org/AcademyDocument.aspx?id=563

AVT GUIDING PRINCIPLES CONTD

6. Guide and coach parents to help their child integrate listening and
spoken language into all aspects of the child's life.
7. Guide and coach parents to use natural developmental patterns of
audition, speech, language, cognition, and communication.

8. Guide and coach parents to help their child self-monitor spoken language
through listening.
9. Administer ongoing formal and informal diagnostic assessments to
develop individualized Auditory-Verbal treatment plans, to monitor
progress and to evaluate the effectiveness of the plans for the child and
family.
10 Promote education in regular schools with peers who have typical
hearing and with appropriate services from early childhood onwards.
*An Auditory-Verbal Practice requires all 10 principles.

WHAT DOES AUDIOLOGY MEAN TO ME?

Explain normal and abnormal hearing to parents

Explain testing results to parents

Provide resources to parents for them to teach others

Read audiograms and know what they mean

Work extensively with all my patients managing audiologists to determine

appropriate technology and benefit
Patients sometimes perform different functionally with me in therapy than they
do in the booth (best acoustic environment). This can impact programming of
hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Check hearing aids and technology at the beginning of every therapy session

Ling 6 Sounds

Equipment Check
Notify managing audiologist of any change in behavior that might be indicative of
a change in hearing loss

AVT QUICK FACTS

LSLS Cert. AVT = Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, Certified Auditory Verbal Therapist
Over 700 LSLSs are certified worldwide.
70% are LSLS Cert. AVT; 30% are LSLS Cert. AVEd (Auditory-Verbal Educators)
68% of LSLSs are based in the U.S. with the remainder practicing in over 30 countries
internationally
What does this mean for Arkansas?
There are currently 4 Certified Auditory Verbal Therapists in the state.
1 Cert. AVT works for a cochlear implant company
3 Cert AVTs are currently practicing
What does this mean for you?

HUGE OPPORTUNITY!!

WHAT IS THE VALUE?

http://agbell.org/AcademyDocument.aspx?id=540

QUICK SURVEY RESULTS

About 90% felt that LSLS certified professionals were more
qualified than non-certified professionals.
80% relayed they had more confidence in the skill set of a
certified LSLS professional than their non-certified
counterparts.
Nearly 72% agreed that LSLS certification should be standard
practice and required.
73% were willing to compensate LSLS professionals more for
their services than a non-certified professional.

REQUIREMENTS
*Bachelors or Masters Degree in Audiology or Speech-Language
Pathology
Licensed to practice Audiology or Speech-Language Pathology
(State, ASHA, CCC)
Application
LSLS Mentor Must be a LSLS Cert. AVT
Application Approval
Cost: AG Bell Members $295
Non-AG Bell Members: $395
Exam 4 hours, 60% pass on the 1st sitting
(can sit for exam 3 times per application)
Time: 3 to 5 years to apply and pass the test with 1 application

APPLICATION (BRIEF SUMMARY)

* One page written description of professional experience and interest in auditory-verbal
practice
* Sign commitment to Principles of AVT
* 80 Hours of Continuing Education
- 50 hrs must be with LSLS. Cert. AVT
- 20 hrs can be counted from degree program if approved by the
academy (i.e. if instructor is Cert. AVT)
* 10 Hours of Structured Observation of LSLS Professionals
- Complete paperwork for each observed therapy session
* 900 Hours of Professional Experience (Mentor to sign off on all hours)
- 750 hrs must be in direct therapy using AVT approach
- 150 hrs can be related evals, conferences, school in-services, etc.
* 20 mentored sessions mentor to complete paperwork and mentee to complete
self-evaluation paperwork for each session
- Mentee must provide mentor with: case hx, audio information, most recent
eval, and lesson plan for each session
* 3 Letters of Recommendation from families utilizing an auditory-verbal approach who you
have worked with while completing your application.
* Submit to the Academy for Approval Woohoo!!!

REFERENCES
Estabrooks, W. (1994). Auditory-Verbal Therapy for Parents and Professionals.
Washington, DC: A. G. Bell Association for the Deaf
Guiding Principles of LSLS. Cert. AVT

http://agbell.org/AcademyDocument.aspx?id=563

Value of LSLS Cert. AVT

http://agbell.org/AcademyDocument.aspx?id=540

QUESTIONS