Auditory Verbal UK's family-centred programme supports deaf children to learn to listen and talk and have an equal start at school.

There are around 7,200 children under five in the UK with severe to profound hearing loss, and more than half leave primary school without reaching the expected standard in reading, writing or mathematics. Auditory Verbal UK is the only UK charity providing auditory verbal therapy to young deaf children and their families, helping them to speak, listen and learn. The charity found that the majority of children who attended its programme for at least two years attended mainstream schools and performed as well or better in their Key Stage One exams as their typical hearing peers. The therapy involves coaching parents in the skills and strategies to maximise their children’s language development through play and everyday interactions. AVUK is also committed to training health and education professionals in Auditory Verbal therapy to give access to the therapy for more families.