YOUNG deaf people and their families met MSs in the Senedd this week to challenge expectations of what deaf children can achieve and call for urgent investment in the life transforming therapy which supported them to have the same opportunities as their hearing peers.
The event, sponsored by Rhiannon Passmore MS, saw Nathaniel Darian (10), from Cardiff, and Harrison Steeple (27), who are both deaf and learnt to listen and talk with Auditory Verbal therapy when younger, join charity Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK), to share their inspiring stories with MSs and discuss how the Welsh Government can improve outcomes and opportunities for deaf children.
Harrison, who is a graduate of Aberystwyth University and now works for the Royal Mint and lives in Cardiff, said: “It is thanks to the determination of my parents to get early and effective support for me with Auditory Verbal therapy that I don’t feel being deaf has held me back in any way. I love music, can play guitar, and saxophone and have a huge passion for sport especially surfing.
“Having lived in different parts of Wales since I was a student I feel passionate about improving the quality of life for deaf children growing up in Wales. I was fortunate to get the access to Auditory Verbal therapy from a young age and it changed my life. However this is not always possible for many families, especially in Wales where there are no Auditory Verbal Therapists. Having the opportunity to raise awareness for the possibilities for deaf children at the Welsh Parliament today feels an important way to support younger generations.”
Harrison spoke to MSs from across the political parties, including Julie Morgan (Labour), Joel James (Conservative), Sioned Williams (Plaid Cymru), Spokesperson for Social Justice and Early Years and Jane Dodds (Liberal Democrat), Chair of the Children and Families Cross Party Group
Nathaniel, who loves school, football and shopping was joined at the Senedd by Mum Siobhan. She said: “Deafness is a disability but with the right support deaf babies and children like Nathaniel can achieve their potential. Thanks to the amazing cochlear implant technology and the specialist Auditory Verbal therapy programme he is reaching his academic targets as he should. AVUK played an important part in helping make our dreams for Nathaniel speech and listening come true. But things need to change for other Welsh families which is why we were pleased to be at the Senedd today and raise awareness as well as ambition and investment so all deaf children can achieve their potential.”
Grace Murphy (5) like Nathaniel and Harrison wears cochlear implants. She is currently being supported to learn to listen and speak through AVUK’s specialist Auditory Verbal therapy programme which she has only been able to access thanks to the bursary funding from the charity. Mum Rhian also met with MS’s this week to explain what a difference the therapy programme has made to the family and why access and investment needs to be increased in Wales. She said: “Without funding, we wouldn’t have been able to offer this resource to our daughter. The progress Grace has made, and her understanding of language, has greatly improved. She’s more expressive, and confident, and will really try and communicate. She’s come a such long way but every deaf child in Wales should be given this opportunity as Grace has had.”
Auditory Verbal therapy is a robust, evidence-based approach that supports deaf children to learn how to make sense of the sound they receive through their hearing technology (such as hearing aids or cochlear implants) so they can learn to talk like their hearing friends.
Only 28% of adults in Wales believe a child born profoundly deaf can learn to speak as well as a hearing child (YouGov*) however research by charity Auditory Verbal UK, the only charity in Wales that provides Auditory Verbal therapy to families with deaf children, shows that more than 80% of deaf children who attended an Auditory Verbal therapy programme for at least two years achieve the same spoken language skills as their hearing peers – this figure rose to 97% for children without additional needs. The majority are attaining the same education outcomes as children without hearing loss.
But currently less than 10% of deaf children who could benefit from Auditory Verbal therapy are able to access it.
Research by YouGov shows that 84% of adults in Wales believe Auditory Verbal therapy should be available via publicly funded services like the NHS.
Auditory Verbal UK’s Hear Us Now campaign is calling on the Welsh Government to provide vital funding to train a small proportion of the current public sector workforce working with deaf children to embed 12 specialist Auditory Verbal Therapists across Wales. This will enable the 300 deaf children under 5 in Wales the opportunity to access Auditory Verbal therapy through existing public services. Economic analysis shows this will cost around £80,000 a year over 10 years and will not only transform services for deaf children but deliver economic benefits in the region of £7 million through improved quality of life, employment prospects, and lower costs of schooling.
Auditory Verbal UK Chief Executive Anita Grover said: “Far too many deaf children in Wales still don’t have access to the early and effective support to develop language and communication needed to thrive in life. This means they face the prospect of lower academic achievement, lower employment prospects, and a higher risk of poor mental health, bullying and social exclusion.
“But it doesn’t have to be this way. When young deaf children and their families have access to effective, early support, whether their families wish to use spoken language, sign language or both, their opportunities in life can be transformed.
“And for those families who want their deaf child to learn to listen and speak, Auditory Verbal therapy is enabling them to get an equal start at school.
“We understand that Auditory Verbal therapy will soon be included in the All-Wales Deafness Pathway guidance for professionals, which is great news, however there are currently no certified Auditory Verbal Therapists to deliver this therapy.
“Urgent investment is needed to train the required number of therapists to that families can access support whether they live”
For more information visit www.avuk.org
