Mission delivery

The mission of the Hear and Say Centre 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

1. 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 this

1. Intensive early intervention and audiological management will assist children to make optimal use of their residual hearing and to learn to listen and speak

1. 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

1. Babies who are deaf must not wait – infant hearing screening is essential

1. 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

1. Family involvement is essential, as is parent and professional teamwork. Mutual family support is encouraged and facilitated.

We value
We value the principles of the Auditory-Verbal approach and promote:

1. Newborn hearing screening and an end to end program for children and families

1. Auditory-Verbal Therapy for families throughout Queensland

1. Full parent involvement

1. Spoken language through listening

1. Early diagnosis and fitting of hearing aids

1. Modern hearing technology

1. Immediate commencement of therapy

• Commencement of Auditory-Verbal Therapy as soon as possible after the hearing loss diagnosis

1. One-to-one individual therapy sessions with the parent/caregiver present

1. Use of current research data

1. Family guidance, education and support

1. A diverse team of qualified professional

1. Sequential learning following normal child developmental patterns and expectations

1. Liaison with relevant education and medical personnel within the child’s community

1. Mainstream education with the aim of full integration

1. 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.

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