Efficacy of auditory-verbal therapy in children with hearing impairment: A systematic review from 1993 to 2015.

OBJECTIVES: Auditory verbal therapy (AVT) is one of the primary treatment approaches for developing spoken language in children with hearing impairment (HI), but its outcomes have not been thoroughly investigated. The current study aimed to systematically review past studies investigating AVT outcomes in children with HI.

METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in six databases. Fourteen articles that met the final inclusion criteria were grouped under three categories based on the outcome measures: receptive and expressive language development, auditory/speech perception and mainstreaming.

RESULTS: Articles under "receptive and expressive language development" category indicated AVT can even help children with HI beyond three years of age to develop age appropriate language skills and catch up with their hearing peers. Articles under "auditory /speech perception" category suggested that children receiving AVT can learn to recognize words accurately even in the presence of background noise. Articles grouped under "mainstreaming" category indicated that children receiving AVT can be successfully mainstreamed.

CONCLUSION: Although studies suggest that AVT can have a positive impact on developing speech and language skills in children with HI, it is difficult to generalize these findings due to limited evidence. Future studies should utilize well-controlled group designs to minimize the role of external variables as well as strengthen the evidence-base for AVT.