Auditory-Verbal Therapy. Science, Research, and Practice

Edited by world renown experts with contributions by a global cohort of authors, Auditory-Verbal Therapy: Science, Research, and Practice is highly relevant to today’s community of practitioners of Auditory-Verbal Therapy (LSLS Cert. AVT), and to those who are working towards LSLS Cert. AVT certification. It is also an excellent resource for audiologists, speech-language pathologists, teachers of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, administrators, psychologists, cochlear implant surgeons, primary care physicians, social workers, and other allied health and education professionals. Although written primarily for practitioners, it will be a welcome resource for parents, family members, and other caregivers who love children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and for whom the desired outcomes are listening, spoken language, and literacy.

The book is divided into five parts:

• Part I: Overview of Auditory-Verbal Therapy: Foundations and Fundamentals

This section covers the philosophy, history, and principles of AVT, including outcome data, results of a new survey of LSLS Cert. AVT community on global practice patterns in AVT, information on auditory brain development, and evaluation of evidence-based and evidence-informed practice for the new decade.

• Part II: Audiology, Hearing Technologies, and Speech Acoustics, and Auditory-Verbal Therapy

This section covers audiology and AVT, hearing aids, implantable and hearing assistive devices, and in-depth speech acoustics for AVT.

• Part III: Developmental Domains in Auditory-Verbal Therapy

This section covers the development of listening, three-dimensional conversations, speech, play, cognition, and literacy, as applied to AVT.

• Part IV: The Practice of Auditory-Verbal Therapy

Here strategies for developing listening, talking, and thinking in AVT are covered, including parent coaching, the AVT Session: planning, delivery and evaluation, music and singing, assessment, and inclusion of “AVT children” in the regular preschool.

• Part V: Extending and Expanding the Practice of Auditory-Verbal Therapy

The final section includes information on children with complex hearing issues, children with additional challenges, multilingualism, children and families experiencing adversity, tele-practice, coaching and mentoring practitioners, and cost-benefit of AVT.

Warren Estabrooks, M.Ed., Dip. Ed. Deaf, LSLS Cert. AVT, is President and CEO of WE Listen International Professional Consulting, a global consulting company in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He and his consulting team provide professional education, training, and development in Auditory-Verbal Therapy for practitioners who work with children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families around the world. Formerly he was Director of the Auditory Learning Centre of the Learning to Listen Foundation at North York General Hospital in Toronto. Mr. Estabrooks was a Founding Director of Auditory-Verbal International and a Founding Director of the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. He is the honored patron of the Warren Estabrooks Centre of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Soundsteps of Mumbai and London and the Warren Estabrooks Speakers' Series of SoundIntuition, Toronto. He is a Canadian of Distinction, recipient of many professional and humanitarian awards, and he has made numerous significant contributions to the literature.

Helen McCaffrey Morrison, PhD, CCC/A (Retired), LSLS Cert. AVT, is an educator, audiologist, and Auditory-Verbal Therapist. As an Associate Professor at Texas Christian University she taught future educators and speech-language pathologists and published research in both early speech development and Auditory-Verbal practice patterns. Following retirement, she founded Listening-Speaking-Learning, mentoring professionals and teaching global online courses. Helen served in the AG Bell Academy as a member of the Certification Committee and the Mentoring Committee. Helen is a co-author of the Mentor’s Guide to Auditory-Verbal Competencies. She received the Health Care Hero Award, Research and Academic Division from the Dallas Business Journal.