Did you know? 95% of deaf children are born to hearing parents.
Give your child more ways to join the world.
If your child is deaf or hard of hearing, you’re not alone — and you have options. If your hope is for them to listen and speak, there’s a proven track.
What is listening & spoken language (LSL)?
LSL is a family-focused approach that helps deaf and hard-of-hearing children learn to listen and speak the same way hearing children learn: through sound in everyday life. With early identification, appropriate hearing technology, and parent coaching, children can catch up and thrive alongside hearing friends and siblings.
Our services are free for west virginia families!
How we support your family
Parent-infant program
Best time to start is now,
even before devices.
Coaching for caregivers that turns routine moments into listening practice. Songs and games, tips for keeping technology on all day, and tools to make language happen at home.
Preschool program
A supported transition to
mainstream.
Small, auditory-verbal classroom plus 1:1 work to build group listening, routines, and confidence. All our preschool graduates go on to use spoken language at age level.
Individual LSL intervention
Help your child hear,
understand, and speak.
One-to-one therapy from infancy through elementary school. Focus areas include complex language, listening in groups and noisy places, early literacy, classroom skills, and self-advocacy.
Teletherapy
Professional support
without travel.
Live online sessions for families across West Virginia. Families meet with a specialist from home and receive the same practical parent coaching and progress tracking as in-person care.
In the past 20 years, every child who completed The L preschool program reached age-level listening and spoken language.
Three steps to get started
Start now.
Book a short, friendly consult with our LSL-certified specialist. Expect a call within 1 business day and 1–2 clear things to try at home this week.
Coach weekly.
Short, practical sessions that show caregivers how to use bath time, mealtime, and play for listening and language practice.
Grow skills.
Progress is measured in everyday moments: turning to name, asking for things, following a direction, joining in to play with other kids.
Start now.
Book a short, friendly consult with our LSL-certified specialist. Expect a call within 1 business day and 1–2 clear things to try at home this week.
Grow skills.
Progress is measured in everyday moments: turning to name, asking for things, following a direction, joining in to play with other kids.
Coach weekly.
Short, practical sessions that show caregivers how to use bath time, mealtime, and play for listening and language practice.
You’re not too early. Or too late.
Little brains grow by experience: hearing shapes how a child learns language. Small actions now, even before devices, build tracks that matter down the road for school readiness.
Best results happen with early intervention (ideally before 6 months, up to 18 months). Late identification isn’t the end of the story either — progress can happen at any age!
Screening & ABR
Identify and confirm your child’s hearing levels early to guide the right next steps.
Language skills for life
Continued support strengthens communication, learning, and confidence for years to come.
Hearing devices
Early fitting of hearing aids or implants gives your child consistent access to sound.
LSL coaching
Hands-on guidance helps families build listening and spoken language together.
Education
Learn about hearing loss, communication options, and what to expect on your journey.
Screening & ABR
Identify and confirm your child’s hearing levels early to guide the right next steps.
EDUCATION
Learn about hearing loss, communication options, and what to expect on your journey.
LSL COACHING
Hands-on guidance helps families build listening and spoken language together.
Hearing devices
Early fitting of hearing aids or implants gives your child consistent access to sound.
Language skills for life
Continued support strengthens communication, learning, and confidence for years to come.
Outcomes that open doors
We support your child from first words to the first day of school and beyond. In 20 years, every The L preschool graduate has reached age-level listening and spoken language.
LSLS-certified clinical team
Specialists trained to turn hearing technology into language, with hands-on experience in pediatric hearing care.
Free for West Virginia residents
State support means eligible WV families receive services at no charge.
Marshall University partnership
University-based care with clinical supervision, student training, and access to current research.
Teletherapy to reduce travel
Virtual coaching that brings practical, parent-led therapy into the homes of WV residents.
Hearing is believing
Dr. Jodi Cottrell shares how listening and spoken language at The L opens doors for children. See words come to life for our preschool students, as they discover and connect with the world through sound.
The support I received from The L was amazing, and the quality of the professionals there is outstanding. Because of them, I have seen my son catch up with his peers in language and succeed at school. Knowing I had a professional, close to home, to help guide me to help my son made all the difference.
S. B
Parent of a preschool graduate
What families ask first
No. If hearing loss is suspected or confirmed, start now. Early steps give the biggest advantage, but it is never too late to make progress.
Confident listening, clear spoken language, and the skills to take part in family life, play, and school.
No. The L works with school teams and supports transition planning so services complement one another.
Tri-State families may come for on-site visits in Huntington. Teletherapy is limited to West Virginia by licensure. Out-of-state visits are scheduled by capacity and billed differently.
Who we serve
Primarily serving West Virginia at no cost to local residents. Tri-State neighbors (KY/OH) welcome for on-site visits; teletherapy is limited to WV.
Not sure what’s best for your family?
West Virginia families
Eligible WV residents receive services at no cost thanks to state support.
Tri-State (KY/OH)
On-site visits in Huntington are available; out-of-state visits are scheduled by capacity. Scholarships are available for out-of-state families.
Children of all ages
Services support children from infancy through early elementary (typically to ~7–8 years).
Special needs welcome
Children with additional needs are supported; goals are tailored to each child and family.
Support The L
Your gift helps build local expertise so that every child can get the support they need, close to home.