8: Living the Auditory-Verbal Targets

Welcome to The Sound Steps Podcast: Conversations in Auditory-Verbal Therapy - exploring the transformative power of listening to develop fluent spoken language, conversational competence, clear speech, and age-appropriate development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing, one sound step at a time.

Language carries meaning when it fulfils a child’s need to connect, to talk, to communicate a thought or to be understood. It is then that language is quickly learned.

In Episode 8, Shefali Shah’s conversation with Rashi Sanghi and Sheena Kurian gives these mothers an opportunity to reflect on how they follow-through on therapy targets throughout their day with their cochlear implanted child.

Drawing on real-life situations with their deaf or hard of hearing children, Shefali remodels and re-frames these examples so that the context conveys meaning. As a result, the child truly understands and learns, Living the Targets in Auditory-Verbal Therapy.

Each carefully crafted exchange sets the child up for success.
Planning, structuring, and staying responsive become part of the parenting rhythm, making life fun!

This is The Sound Steps Podcast.
🎯 Top Tips from Episode 8

• Focus on the pragmatics of language. Every communication should fulfil a purpose or need within your child.
• Structure follow-up meaningfully. Set up activities so that your child wants to participate and talk.
• Integrate listening into every interaction. Design exchanges where your child so wants to participate, that she listens intently.
• Set your child up for success. Use familiar language, and introduce only one new element at a time, in the early days.
• Follow-up is fun! Living and learning with your deaf or hard of hearing child should be fun.

Time Stamps:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:16 The Science of Auditory-Verbal Therapy
00:02:05 The Art of Auditory-Verbal Therapy :Weaving weekly targets into daily routine
00:02:51 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents
00:03:03 Choosing Auditory-Verbal Therapy for your deaf or hard of hearing child
00:03:33 AVT facilitates age-appropriate development
00:04:00 Abundant choices open up through AVT
00:04:28 Early identification and the fitting of early and optimal amplification.
00:04:40 A life free of limitations
00:04:45 Show notes, Top tips and Time Stamps
00:04:56 Links and contact details
00:05:14 Introducing our guests on this episode: Rashi Sanghi
00:06:33 The implementation of targets must fulfil a need within the child to communicate
00:07:07 Create opportunities for your child to demonstrate comprehension of the target
00:07:55 Listening must be an integral part of structuring the message
00:09:51 Use familiar language
00:10:26 Setting the child up for success
00:10:59 Choose your words carefully
00:12:14 Introducing our second guest: Sheena Kurian
00:13:06 Create more opportunities for your child to demonstrate comprehension of the target
00:15:47 Replaying situations to achieve targets
00:16:34 Waiting to encourage self-monitoring
00:18:16 Setting up tasks to facilitate understanding
00:19:43 Reflection
00:20:57 Our next episode: Consistency

Resources:

• 💬 Submit your question to the show: https://www.soundsteps.uk/podcast-ask-question/
• 👩‍⚕️ Face-to-face AVT with Shefali Shah (London): https://soundsteps.uk
• 🌐 Online AVT sessions available via AVT Direct: https://avtdirect.com
• 🎓 Train online as an LSL professional in AVT: https://learnavt.com
• 📧 Contact Shefali directly: [e-mail]