Delivery on our Mission

The Hear and Say Mission is to enable families to teach their children who are deaf or hard of hearing to listen and speak.

We strive to achieve this Mission by providing early intervention using Auditory-Verbal Therapy.

We believe:

Auditory-Verbal Therapy should be available as an option to all children who are deaf/hearing impaired throughout Queensland
Services provided should enable families to make the most informed choices possible for their child who is deaf/hearing impaired
In the promotion of informed choice and providing information to enable parents to make the best decision to meet the needs of their child
Intensive early intervention and audiological management will assist children to make optimal use of their residual hearing and to learn to listen and speak
Early diagnosis and fitting of amplification (hearing aids or a cochlear implant) is imperative to enable children to listen to and learn from the sounds of the world
Babies who are deaf must not wait – infant screening and early intervention is essential
Children participating in Hear and Say Centre programs will acquire speech and language skills which will enable them to integrate into their local schools and the wider community
Family involvement is essential, as is parent and professional teamwork. Mutual family support is encouraged and facilitated.

We value:

The principles of the Auditory-Verbal approach and promote:

Newborn hearing screening and an end-to-end program for children and families
Auditory-Verbal Therapy for families throughout Queensland
Full parent involvement
Spoken language through listening
Early diagnosis and fitting of hearing aids
Modern hearing technology
Immediate commencement of therapy
Commencement of Auditory-Verbal Therapy as soon as possible after the hearing loss diagnosis
One-to-one individual therapy sessions with the parent/caregiver present
Use of current research data
Family guidance, education and support
A diverse team of qualified professional
Sequential learning following normal child developmental patterns and expectations
Liaison with relevant education and medical personnel within the child’s community
Mainstream education with the aim of full integration
A warm family atmosphere where dedicated Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Teachers of the Deaf and Audiologists work with the family and the child.