What is the primary goal of auditory-verbal therapy?

The primary goal of auditory-verbal therapy is to promote listening skills and spoken language development in children with hearing loss. This therapeutic approach emphasizes the use of residual hearing through amplification devices, such as hearing aids or cochlear implants, to facilitate the child’s ability to listen and acquire spoken language.

Auditory-verbal therapy focuses on helping children maximize their auditory skills to develop speech and language in naturalistic settings, bridging the gap between hearing and language acquisition. The method relies on principals that encourage the use of sound to provide a basis for learning language, underscoring the importance of listening as a foundational component of communication.

While options such as teaching sign language, preparing children for reading, and emphasizing social communication skills are relevant aspects of speech and language therapy, they don’t represent the central aim of auditory-verbal therapy, which is specifically tailored towards enhancing listening and spoken language skills among children with hearing impairment.