Brent Edwards (National Acoustic Laboratories), Trent Zimmerman MP, ME, Ken Wyatt MP and Kim Terrell (Australian Hearing)

Sound Scouts, the app-based hearing test to identify hearing loss in children, has secured $4 million in national funding to roll out their program across the nation.

According to WHO, undetected hearing loss limits the ability of children to learn, play and interact. Sound Scouts provides a less invasive solution to test hearing in school-aged children. This innovative tablet-based app was developed collaboratively with National Acoustic Laboratories and is supported by New South Wales Health.

By securing this funding, Sound Scouts will  provide the testing free of charge for school aged children living in Australia from early 2019.

SGSCA

Simulation Australasia congratulates Sound Scouts on their success and is pleased to see Serious Games attracting national funding. Sound Scouts won the 2014 Serious Games Showcase and Challenge competition at the combined SimTect and SimHealth conference in Adelaide, South Australia.

Signs of hearing loss:

• Does your child speak louder than others?
• Does your child turn the TV up too loud?
• Does your child often say ‘what’ or ‘huh’?
• Does your child have trouble pronouncing words?
• Does your child struggle at school?
• Does your child have trouble hearing in noisy places?
• Does your child lose focus in noisy places?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, it is recommended that you test your child’s hearing. Visit Sound Scouts website to find out more about the app, or visit Raising Kids for more information on children and hearing loss.