What is Oral Deaf Education & Auditory-Verbal Therapy?

Oral Deaf Education

Every parent has dreams for their child. These dreams may appear shattered when they learn that their child is deaf.  There are options however as many deaf children can learn to listen and speak through a programme of oral deaf education. Incredible advances have been made in technology and therapies resulting in opportunities that enable deaf children to listen and speak.  Oral deaf education does not engage in the use of sign language, speech reading or Total Communication, focusing on receptive (listening) and expressive (spoken) language. Deaf children trained in auditory oral techniques use their residual hearing and hearing aids and/or cochlear implants to support their language and hearing development.

Is Oral Deaf Education the right choice for your child?

The most common reason parents choose oral deaf education is the desire that their children speak for themselves when communicating with others in the hearing world. These are reasonable dreams. Young deaf adults who learned to use spoken language as children overwhelmingly say that oral deaf education was the right choice. It has allowed them to integrate into regular schools, develop fulfilling careers and to be socially active within the hearing community.

Oral Deaf Education and Auditory-Verbal Therapy working together

Starting as early as possible, Auditory-Verbal therapy engages the child with the world of sound through parents, teachers, friends and family. This engagement establishes communication patterns and focuses a child’s learning abilities. Children learn to listen and gradually produce sounds which lead them to use spoken language. In time, the child makes the connection between sound and meaning. With continued positive reinforcement, teachers and parents build on initial sounds until children naturally learn to say whole words, then sentences. The key is to provide consistent input and at the same time enjoy with the child new discoveries made.

I am writing this on my daughter’s 15th birthday. She has thoroughly enjoyed her first year of secondary school, fully integrated and a B student in all her subjects. Not only is she successful academically, but also was voted MVP on her grade eight volleyball team and won the district doubles table tennis championship… . I should note that independence could be her middle name. She has learned to cope with minimal support and continues to amaze all her teachers. We are pleased of course, but we are not amazed. We knew that the auditory-verbal approach laid out this hope in the beginning and we knew that our daughter was capable of claiming that hope and reaching her potential regardless of her hearing loss.

— VOC PARENT


As you are about to make one of the most important decisions you will ever make on your child’s behalf, remember, oralism works! Our son (the one who we were told would never speak or go to regular school) is now a practicing lawyer. He is involved in life fully. He is happy, speaks intelligibly, plays sports, and has an active social life. I think if you asked him he would say that his life is more fulfilling than many of his hearing peers.

— VOC PARENT