About me
I am an Auditory Verbal Therapist & Teacher of the Deaf, based in Brighton.
I believe that all deaf children should have the support they need to realise their potential and to be happy and successful.
I am passionate about working in partnership with families to enhance children’s learning and development. I have worked with deaf children across the age range in a variety of educational settings for 30 years. I’ve seen incredible advances in technology and early intervention leading to much better outcomes deaf children. I feel very lucky to have worked with so many families and look forward to supporting many more.
My aims
Support families to help their deaf child to make the most of their technology so that they can learn to listen, talk and learn to the best of their ability. For many children this will mean achieving age appropriate language by the time they start school.
Offer families who wish to follow a listening & spoken language approach access to Auditory Verbal Therapy close to where they live in Sussex, with the option of Skype sessions for families living further away.
Provide training, advice and support to enhance learning for deaf children & young people in independent schools who may not have access to support from a qualified Teacher of the Deaf.
Help young deaf children to develop the social skills they need to help them to make friends, and to support the them as they grow older to develop self-awareness and advocacy skills to become confident young adults.
Offer training & mentoring to Teachers of the Deaf in using Auditory Verbal techniques in their work with deaf children and families.
My background
I currently work part time as a Specialist Teacher of the Deaf with the Auditory Implant team at RNTNE in London. We work with children & young people across the age range, providing multi-disciplinary assessments, habilitation and support for children pre & post cochlear implant, as well as specialist hearing aid fitting and review.
I managed the Service for Hearing-Impaired Children in Brighton & Hove from 2002-2015. I was one of a team of Advisory Teachers of the Deaf, providing information, training and support to families and staff in nurseries and schools working with deaf children from 0-16 years.
Prior to that, I worked at the Lavinia Norfolk Centre, a unit for deaf and physically disabled children at Angmering Secondary School in West Sussex, which gave me a through understanding of the challenges children with a hearing loss face in mainstream school and strategies to help overcome them.
My first job after qualifying from Manchester University was in a wonderful special school for the deaf in Brighton, Ovingdean Hall School, where as a young teacher, I learnt so much about supporting deaf children’s language, literacy and social development.
Becoming an Auditory Verbal Therapist
I began working with younger children and their families whilst with the Sensory Needs Service, and wanted to learn more about how to support children in these crucial early years. I did a Foundation Course ‘Working through Audition’ With Auditory Verbal UK in 2014 and it really helped me to think about how to maximise learning through listening in very young deaf children. I decided then that I wanted to become an Auditory Verbal Therapist. I was very fortunate to complete my training whilst working at AVUK, which gave me the opportunity to work alongside and learn from experienced therapists. I was delighted to qualify as an Auditory Verbal Therapist in May 2017. I hope that my unique skill set as an Auditory Verbal Therapist & a Teacher of the Deaf will enable me to continue to develop my skills and support families.
Access to AVT through the NHS or Local Authorities is very limited in the UK at present. There are no Auditory Verbal Therapists currently working in Sussex. I will be offering access to AVT for families in the region either in their home or at a clinic base, depending on where they live.