At Bolesta, we strive to provide a family-centered, individualized Auditory-Verbal Therapy curriculum, that encompasses the guiding principles of Auditory-Verbal Therapy as set forth by the Alexander Graham Bell Association. Through this curriculum, we provide:

Auditory-Verbal Therapy Services:

• A proven Auditory-Verbal curriculum for deaf and hard-of-hearing infants, preschoolers, and elementary students using hearing aids and/or cochlear implants


• Bilateral cochlear implantation support for both sequential and simultaneous cochlear implant users


• A multi-disciplinary team approach


• Parent-focused demonstration sessions


• Diagnostic therapy sessions with child-centered goals


• Objective-oriented therapy based on normal stages of child development


• A focus on development of listening, language, cognition, and speech


• Individualized sessions with guidance and counseling to the family

Immersion Services For Families
Bolesta offers an intensive immersion program for families at our center in Tampa, Florida. During the week-long program, the parents or caregiver, child, therapist and other team members work together to develop a strong foundation for long-term learning.

After the initial immersion program, ongoing support and mentoring services are offered and to meet the individual needs of each family. Those services may include telephone support, internet based support, distance learning, and further on-site services. In addition to supporting the family, Bolesta also provides training and support for local professionals that the parents may be working with at home.

The Immersion Program is not viewed as an end in itself, but as the starting point toward maximizing the hearing and speech potential of each child. The families and staff at Bolesta are available to support each family collectively and in the community in which they live.

Program Components:

• Auditory-Verbal Therapy: Therapy is conducted for 1–1 ½ hours each day with the child and parent. The initial sessions of therapy are for baseline testing and evaluation to provide the therapists and the parents with information about the child’s auditory, speech, and language skills. The remaining therapy sessions are used to encourage both the child and the parents to understand and embrace an Auditory-Verbal approach to listening and speech.


• Therapy Observation: Families are provided with opportunities to observe other children and parents in therapy. These observations are reviewed by, and with, a therapist to assist the family in understanding the unique goals and practices of each session.


• Parent Mentoring: A current Bolesta parent, or parents, will meet with the family for at least one hour to discuss their own child’s case and provide other information the family may be interested in. This interaction gives the family an opportunity to meet other parents of hearing-impaired children and feel connected to the program for long-term support. One-on-one time with other Bolesta families often helps the parents and caregiver better understand what lies ahead. They can see, first-hand, how other children with similar hearing losses and their parents are succeeding with listening, language, and communication in a hearing world.


• Parent Resource Kit: Each family receives the Listen Little Star family activity kit for parents of infants from the Auditory-Verbal Learning Institute, a Hearing is Believing CD-ROM, and the book 50 Frequently Asked Questions About Auditory Verbal Therapy.


• Audiology: All children participating in the Immersion Program are provided with an audiologic evaluation. Exceptions are made if a recent audiological work-up has been completed with appropriate documentation. This provides the therapists with information regarding the child’s level of hearing loss. Families are counseled as to the results of the evaluation and provided with amplification information and support as needed.


• Sensory Integration and Oral Motor Screening and Therapy: Sensory Integration is defined as the ability to organize sensory information for use in daily life. It is estimated that at least 60% of children with hearing impairments have some form of sensory integration dysfunction, which may affect balance, auditory sequential memory, speech, eating, fine and gross motor skills, sensitivity to touch and/or several other areas. An oral motor screening will assist in identifying individual needs in a child that may affect articulation development. Exceptions are made if a recent SI and/or OM screening has been completed with appropriate documentation. For those identified as needing Oral Motor and Speech Therapy, services can be provided by our Licensed Speech Language Pathologist.