Team hearing dogs
Hearing Dogs is conducting a pilot study looking at the placement of carefully chosen hearing dogs with profoundly deaf children in hearing families. These specially trained dogs will be known as ‘team’ hearing dogs and they will assist not only the deaf child with specific tasks but also the parent who is responsible for the care of both the child and the dog.
Introduction
We are very excited about this pilot project and the possible effects that these dogs may have on the psychological wellbeing and development of deaf children in hearing families.We're particularly interested in the possible influence of a dog on factors such as social interaction, confidence, self-esteem and the development of relationships with peers and adults. We’ll also examine the relationship the child develops with the dog itself.
Cara - the first of her kind
Socialisation and training
As is the case with all hearing dogs, Cara spent time with a volunteer family being ‘socialised’. She stayed with a mum and her 10 year old daughter near Hearing Dogs’ headquarters in Buckinghamshire and they gave her the opportunity to meet new people, visit various places and experience all sorts of different environments. This has stood Cara in good stead throughout her soundwork training - where she has learnt, among other things, to alert to the sound of the alarm clock by touching Faye with her paw, and to carry a purse containing a message from one person to another – and will ensure that she can pursue her new career with confidence.
How a team hearing dog works
When Faye and her mum or dad are out and about, one parent always has a lead attached to the halti, and Faye has a lead attached to the collar and walks on the other side of Cara. Cara also gives Faye more independence and autonomy, for example waking her up when her alarm clock goes off in the morning.
Having learnt to carry a purse gently in her mouth and to collect it from one person and take it to another – Cara is also providing a fun and practical means of communicating among the whole family when they are in different parts of the house or garden. For example, Helen, Faye’s older sister, can write a note to Faye and place it in the purse, then call Cara and ask her to take the purse containing the note to her sister.
How you can be part of this project
The project leader, Jan Smith, is looking for families who would be interested in taking part in this pilot study and who fulfil the criteria. We need 12 children, aged between 6 and 11, who are moderately to profoundly deaf living in families with hearing parents.The family must not have a dog of their own, and should feel that the placement of a trained ‘team’ hearing dog would benefit the child in terms of increasing their self-confidence and self-esteem, and improve social interaction with peers and adults.
For the purposes of this pilot study alone, we are looking for applicants living in and around Yorkshire or the surrounding area. If you know someone who would like to be part of this project, or would like further information, please contact us on 01844 348100 or email us
Facts about childhood deafness
- There are around 35,000 deaf children in the UK.
- 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who have little or no experience of deafness.
- The UK-wide introduction of the Newborn Hearing Screening programme (NSHP) in 2006 has reduced the average age of identification of a child's deafness to around eight weeks old.
- Ear problems account for a third of visits to the family doctor in a child's first 18 months of life.
- Almost every day, two babies are born with a clinically significant hearing loss.
- 840 babies are born every year with impaired hearing in both ears.
- Over 50% of cases of born-deaf children are due to genetic causes.
- 80% of all pre-school children suffer from glue ear at some time.
- Glue ear is the most common reason for pre-school children to visit the family doctor.
- Around half of all cases of glue ear will persist for over three months.
Noise and children
- Children's toys can produce sound levels of up to 80 - 110 dBA.
- Around 6% of children are thought to suffer hyperacusis - an over-sensitivity to noise.
Fun facts
- The middle ear is no bigger than a Smartie.
- The cochlea (inner ear) is about the size of a pencil eraser.
- The ear never stops working. Even when people are asleep, the ear continues to hear sounds, but the brain shuts them out.
- In Africa, a tribe of people called Maabans live in such quiet that they can hear a whisper from across a baseball field.
If you would like to read more about the social and psychological effects of placing hearing dogs with deaf people. Click here.
