Growing brains in early childhood: using e-learning to train professionals in auditory-verbal therapy

This paper describes the use of Auditory-Verbal Therapy (AVT) to 'grow brains' in early childhood learners via intensive auditory brain stimulation that develops listening and speaking skills. One research focus of a specialty paediatric hearing health and education centre, Hear and Say Brisbane Australia, is directed at the period after surgical implantation of the Cochlear Implant. At that time, there is a critical need for intensive auditory brain stimulation by trained and accredited listening and spoken language specialists using evidence-based practice. Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapists (LSLS Cert AVTs™) teach the implant recipient, the prototypical bionic human, to learn to listen and speak. The Hear and Say WorldWide e-Learning Program that is reported here was developed to overcome the global shortage of AVTs by training specialists. The program uses a Learning Management System made available to Hear and Say through collaboration with the National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan. It features a 'Blended Learning' mode of delivery, comprising asynchronous and synchronous tools to offer a suite of AVT courses to train participants from introductory to specialty level. More recently, it has been used in mainstream teacher professional development in Australia and internationally.