Children who are deaf CAN Talk and Listen.

The Auditory Options Project can show you how.

The auditory-oral approach is based on the concept that society communicates largely through spoken language (Gatty, 1996). The goal of the auditory-oral approach is for the child to learn spoken language and to be able to communicate verbally (Martin & Noble, 1994). The children can look at the speaker’s face and mouth in order to lipread (Goldberg, 1996). Children who follow the oral approach are fitted with hearing aids and use hearing to supplement their speechreading (Gatty, 1996). Ling (1986) stated that those who are successful followers of the auditory-oral approach “usually have a good knowledge of spoken language, make use of both verbal and nonverbal contexts to provide cues on the intent of the message, and are able to synthesize the partial patterns perceived into a meaningful whole” (p. 25).

Auditory-oral programs often are teacher-focused, and children typically attend preschool classes that have an auditory-oral orientation.  Children often are grouped with other children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

With the advent of newborn infant hearing screening and subsequent early fitting of hearing aids and cochlear implants, auditory-verbal and auditory-oral programs have more similarities than differences.

 

This explanation of the auditory-verbal approach is an excerpt from:
    Lim, S., & Goldberg, D.M. (2001). Auditory-verbal graduates: Rationales for choosing cochlear implants or hearing aids and their listening abilities. Unpublished thesis, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH.

References:

Gatty, J. (1996). The oral approach: A professional point of view. In S. Schwartz (Ed.). Choices in Deafness (2nd ed.). (pp. 163-171). Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

Goldberg, D.M. (1996). Early intervention. In F.N. Martin & J.G. Clark (Eds.) Hearing care for children (pp. 287-302). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Ling (1986). Devices and procedures. The Volta Review, 88 (5), 19-28.