New research exposes lack of awareness in the South-East of what deaf children can achieve as deaf Eastbourne teenager calls for greater understanding

But Sam Callaghan (13), from Eastbourne, who was diagnosed as deaf as a baby is challenging these expectations and proving that with early and effective support the possibilities are endless for deaf babies and children and they can learn to talk just like their hearing friends.

Sam was supported to listen and speak by charity Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK) and is now thriving in mainstream education. He loves space and science and dreams of becoming as astrophysicist – essentially doing anything that hearing children can do. This week he is calling for greater understanding about what is possible and challenging common misconceptions that persist about deafness.

A YouGov* survey commissioned by AVUK, has revealed that only one in three (30%) adults in the South East region believe it is possible for a child born profoundly deaf to speak as well as a hearing child.

The new research shows a clear decrease from 2024, which found 44% of adults in the South East think a child born profoundly deaf today can learn to speak as well as a child without hearing loss - indicating a concerning decline in what people in the region think is possible for deaf children.

Deaf children and their families are joining AVUK calling for a greater awareness and understanding of what deaf children can achieve with early and effective support to develop language and communication in the vital early years.

Deaf children like Sam, who wears cochlear implants. He said: “Thanks to Auditory Verbal therapy I can do anything my hearing friends can do but it is upsetting to know that people still don’t think deaf young people like me can do the same things as their hearing friends.

Joanna and Andy Sam’s parents said: “It is no exaggeration to say that Auditory Verbal therapy changed our lives. We can’t even bear to imagine where we would be if we hadn’t had this support and I very much doubt that Sam would be at mainstream school dreaming of space. It really is time that attitudes about what deaf children can achieve change especially now in Deaf Awareness Week. We are so proud of how Sam has embraced his hearing loss and everything he has achieved and dreams of for the future.”

Auditory Verbal therapy helps deaf children process sound they receive from hearing technology, like hearing aids and cochlear implants, and supports them to develop their spoken language.

But this support needs to be offered early in a child’s life, while their brain’s neural pathways are developing, to ensure they have the very best opportunities to achieve their potential.

Charity AVUK works with the families of deaf children who want their child to learn to listen and talk and four out of five children who attend the family-centred Auditory Verbal therapy programme achieve spoken language skills on a par with hearing children and the majority attend mainstream school.

AVUK Chief Executive Anita Grover said: “Deaf children and their potential is constantly underestimated and this new research for Deaf Awareness Week continues to show this lack of belief and understanding in what is possible with early, effective support.

“There are approximately 7,200 deaf children under the age of five in the UK who currently face the prospect of lower academic achievement, lower employment, and are at higher risk of poor mental health, bullying and social exclusion. But it doesn’t have to be this way. As young people like Sam are proving when children and families have access to effective, early support, deaf children can get an equal start at school and opportunities are transformed. This is critically important whether a child uses sign language, spoken language or both. There is not one approach that works for all families of deaf children.”

AVUK wants all families who want their child to learn to listen and talk to have the opportunity to access Auditory Verbal therapy through publicly funded services. The charity’s #HearUsNow campaign is calling on UK governments to invest in early and effective support for deaf children in the UK is backed by the general public: The YouGov survey showed 82% of adults in the South East believe Auditory Verbal therapy should be available to all deaf children via publicly funded services like the NHS.

For more information visit www.avuk.org