Outcomes of early intervention for deaf children with additional needs following an Auditory Verbal approach to communication

For deaf children with additional needs who stay on an AV programme for more than two years, listening and spoken communication is significantly enhanced. Specific access to the AV approach in addition to generic, statutory early intervention could facilitate deaf children with additional needs to achieve or approach AAL. Ensuring families have access to effective early intervention increases the chances that i) a suitable communication approach is adopted at the earliest opportunity, and ii) a child with additional needs acquires listening and spoken language at a rate commensurate with their full potential. Applying the SNOMED CT framework as a means of categorising children's additional needs will enable more effective comparisons across studies from different centres around the world.