Includes bibliographical references.The focus of this project was auditory-verbal practice with children who are hearing impaired. Auditory-verbal practice is a comprehensive approach which teaches the child with a hearing impairment to make maximum use of his or her amplified residual hearing. Emphasis is placed on early identification and ongoing audiological evaluation and aural habilitation. Parents and auditory-verbal professionals then work together to teach the child to listen, to process verbal language, and to speak. As a result, the child acquires the ability to communicate through speech. After learning about auditory-verbal therapy through class work and observation, I became particularly interested in learning more about the history, techniques, and outcomes of this approach. Therefore, I chose to explore some of the primary components of the auditoryverbal process, including the following: the auditory-verbal position, audiological management, therapy strategies and techniques, auditory-verbal outcomes, and personal observations of auditory-verbal clients. Although I researched this topic in books and journals, I gathered much information through direct observation. During the Fall semester, I observed various auditory-verbal clients in the NIU Speech and Hearing Clinic. This semester, however, I was given the opportunity to assist a graduate clinician in therapy with a two-year-old auditory-verbal child. I participated in therapy two times a week for fifty minutes each session. I also gathered information from Auditory-Verbal International and auditory-verbal professionals. I was then able to compare my research with my direct observations. I found that auditory-verbal practice is a very ongoing, family centered process. To insure auditory-verbal success, parents and auditory-verbal professionals must work together to shape the approach into a way of life.B.S. (Bachelor of Science
