Alumni Spotlight – Avy Dioguardi – A Story of Hope

In 2011 Avy’s family, Heather, David, and three-year-old sister Romy, were living.
in Johannesburg, South Africa for a U.S. government posting. Moving every two to
three years was a way of life for our family. Seattle was still home, so we decided
to return temporarily for Avy’s birth at University of Washington Medical Center.
It was here where Avy failed her newborn hearing screening. At two weeks of age she
was diagnosed with sensorineural high-frequency hearing loss. Although living abroad was not new territory for our family, doing so with an infant with bilateral hearing loss was and felt overwhelming.

We returned to Johannesburg with seven-week-old Avy where we worked with an audiologist and
Auditory Verbal Therapist. We once again returned to Seattle when Avy was seven
months old to fit her for hearing aids. During that short visit, we reached out to
Listen and Talk and met with Birth to Three Specialist Kim Hamren, whom we set up weekly
tele intervention sessions upon our return. These sessions became an
important lifeline to our family as we navigated Listening and Spoken language
with a toddler. This experience was one of the most eagerly anticipated hours of our week.
When it was time to leave South Africa, we chose Seattle as our next post, and
Listen and Talk factored largely into that decision.

Early Intervention at Listen and Talk

Avy began a year of early intervention in Listen and Talk’s Birth to Three program and joined their Music and Movement class. Avy’s sister Romy attended Listen and Talk’s Blended Classroom Pre-K program.
She was one of four typically-hearing kids making up half her class that year
where she quickly became the family expert in hearing loss technology. The
following year, it was Avy’s turn to join Listen and Talk’s Pre-K program, which she
attended for two years prior to our next move. Listen and Talk became a part of
our family where we always felt supported and welcome, and still do to this day.

As Listen and Talk parents, we never once had to wonder what was going on with
either of our children at school or where they were in their development. The
accessibility of staff and communication between parent and teacher was second
to none. The language-rich listening and spoken language classroom and daily “picture pages” ensured that both
Romy and Avy were excited to speak in detail about their days. Each girl
became inquisitive, good listeners, and fantastic story tellers. Avy learned to
speak up when she didn’t hear what was said – or ask for the meaning of a word
she didn’t understand. Most importantly, she learned to advocate for herself,
a life-long skill everyone needs, but is even more important for a person with
hearing loss.

The Dioguardi Family

Please give back to Listen and Talk by participating in our Alumni Family Giving Campaign. As a former student or family member of Listen and Talk, you know firsthand the incredible impact our organization has on children with hearing loss. Your support can help us continue to provide life-changing services and support to these children and their families.

By donating to our Alumni Family Giving Campaign, you can help ensure that future generations of children with hearing loss have access to the same high-quality education and resources that helped shape your own journey. Your contribution will directly fund programs such as early intervention services, speech therapy, audiology testing, and parent education classes.

Not only will your donation make a difference in the lives of these children, but it is also a way for you to stay connected and give back to the special community at Listen and Talk. Thank you for contributing to the lives of deaf and hard of hearing children and their families to reach our vision that “no child is limited by hearing loss.”