Parents and AV Therapy

Over the years as an educator and speech therapist working with the Deaf/HH, one of the most troubling factors I have experienced is the lack of parental involvement in the educational process, specifically; the speech and language development of their child. I have had the opportunity to work with many parents who are invested in helping their child reach their maximum potential, but there were still many who did not seem to care...even now, with my own practice, I am amazed at how some of the parents of my clients do not feel that they have to do anything.

I wonder why?

I have thought about this for years and I use to question my abilities as a teacher/therapist. Was I doing something wrong? Why did it appear they didn't care? Was I not clear in my delivery of instruction or parent workshops? What was it?

I realized after reflecting upon this question many times, that it wasn't me specifically or the parents...it was both of us. They had to buy into what I was doing or else it was just like Simser said in her article from an unknown author:

Tell me and I will forget
Show me and I may remember
Involve me and I will understand.

If you want to continue to this discussion, please do so.

Auditory-Verbal Intervention: Infants and Toddlers

I am in the middle of my certification process for becoming an Auditory Verbal Therapist. During this time I have been reading many articles that are required readings, one by Judith Simser, who discusses the how and why parents participate in the AV approach as well as the components of the therapy sessions. These therapy sessions are outlined and the techniques are escribed for to help develop listening skills, language , and speech production ( all which is really communication) in infants adn toddlers.
Though this article is dated, 1993, the discussion of AV programs and its practice with children with hearing impairments still holds many theories and practices that are used today to help develop the skills of children with and without hearing losses. What I like about this article is that it stresses the importance of parental involvment, by teaching them how to create an audtiory learning environment for their child to develop spoken language, by non other using listening situations during nateral and meaningful communication.
The author stresses that parents need to be involved...(Involve me and I will understand) instead of the tell me and I will forget approach. Are there any therapist out there that would like to share thier personal experiences with parents being involved or not?