Sound Scouts

Sound Scouts

Medical Equipment Manufacturing

Sydney, New South Wales 777 followers

Eliminate undetected hearing loss with our award-winning, game-based app.

About us

Sound Scouts is a hearing test designed for children but playable by everyone. After birth all children should have access to a hearing test around the time they start school. Sound Scout's Founder Carolyn Mee's vision is to provide an accessible and fun hearing test for children. Undetected hearing loss in children greatly impacts their social development and education. It is crucial to identify hearing problems in children early in their lives in order to support growth and development throughout their school years. Developed in collaboration with the National Acoustic Laboratories, Sounds Scouts looks and feels like a game, however, it incorporates advanced scientific principles that enable it to detect a range of hearing problems. While Sound Scouts is based on science, it's the gameplay that encourages and enables a valid hearing check for children (aged 4yrs 9months and older).

Website
http://www.soundscouts.com
Industry
Medical Equipment Manufacturing
Company size
2-10 employees
Headquarters
Sydney, New South Wales
Type
Privately Held
Founded
2014
Specialties
Hearing, Digital Health, MedTech, Technology, App, and Startup

Locations

  • Primary

    107/4 Clarke St

    Crows Nest

    Sydney, New South Wales 2065, AU

    Get directions

Employees at Sound Scouts

Updates

  • Happy World Audiologists Day. Hearing is so important and the care provided by audiologists is critical. Keep up the great work 💙🌀

    🌏 👂 Happy World Audiologists Day 👂 🌎 Today, we celebrate the incredible work of audiologists in Australia 🇦🇺 and around the 🌎 who are dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with hearing and balance difficulties. Audiologists play a major role in helping people connect with the world around them, empowering individuals of all ages to hear, communicate, and live life to the fullest. On this day, let’s recognise ✅ their expertise in diagnosing and treating hearing loss and balance disorders ✅ their dedication to promoting #HearingHealth ✅ the impact they make in enhancing the quality of life for so many Whether it’s fitting devices, conducting research, or supporting early detection in children, audiologists are making a real difference every day. Thank you to all the audiologists for your dedication and compassion. Your work truly changes lives! 🙌 🫶 #WorldAudiologistsDay #Audiology #HearingHealth #HealthcareHeroes #HearingAwareness #BetterHearing Macquarie University Audiology Australia ® Independent Audiologists Australia NextSense Hearing Australia The Shepherd Centre Soundfair Catherine McMahon John Newall Fadwa Alnafjan - PhD Juan-Pablo Faundez-Astudillo Alisa Gourlie Isabelle Boisvert Lisa Maggs Pia Watkins, PhD Jermy Pang Catherine Morgan Patricia Van Buynder

  • SXSW Sydney is a great opportunity to showcase our innovative game-based hearing check. I'll be discussing the positive impact delivered by Sound Scouts and how the use of gaming technology has made a difference. I must take the opportunity to celebrate the talents of our wonderful CTO Cuauhtemoc Moreno and amazing developer Nathan Radsavanh, who have brought the games, and the fun, to Sound Scouts.

    View profile for Carolyn Mee, graphic

    Founder of Sound Scouts | Women In Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 | 2016 Woman of Influence | Lumorama

    As the clock counts down to SXSW Sydney 2024 I'm excited to share that I'll be on a Panel discussion "Celebrating Games that made a Difference". A particularly meaningful discussion given the impact of Sound Scouts over the years. Sound Scouts uses gaming technology to identify children, and adults, with hearing issues. The game based testing activities engage the children and ensure the quality of data collected supports a reliable test result. I'm excited to be speaking with Nico King 🔜 MIGW, Reuben Moorhouse, Daniel Teitelbaum. Please join us to learn more about the positive difference games can make. https://lnkd.in/g73XwpXU

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  • Sound Scouts explained with a little help from....we never did catch their names 🤔

    View profile for Carolyn Mee, graphic

    Founder of Sound Scouts | Women In Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 | 2016 Woman of Influence | Lumorama

    At Sound Scouts we have leveraged technology to create a hearing screening solution that is accessible and fun. The Sound Scouts app now includes both the original Triple Factor Hearing Screener and an Automatic Audiometer which has been redesigned to allow for testing in an aged care setting (along with being suitable for younger children 4yrs+). As innovators the Sound Scouts team couldn't resist using technology to help explain our Solution, what it is and how it works. See if you can figure out which part we had help with! The explanation is entertaining, clear and concise!

  • View profile for Carolyn Mee, graphic

    Founder of Sound Scouts | Women In Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 | 2016 Woman of Influence | Lumorama

    Sound Scouts had a wonderful time over the weekend at the ANZCED 2024 conference where we had the opportunity to have face to face conversations with many of the wonderful deaf and hard of hearing educators we work with across Australia. Congratulations to Greg Leigh AO and Joy MacDougall winning the Des Power Memorial Awards. It was also inspiring to hear from guest presenter Dr Jessica Kirkness, author of The House with all the Lights on, who had the room captivated with her wonderful story telling.

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  • It's Safe Listening Week so we're sharing some insights into using headphones responsibly to protect your hears while gaming.

    View profile for Carolyn Mee, graphic

    Founder of Sound Scouts | Women In Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 | 2016 Woman of Influence | Lumorama

    It's Safe Listening Week in Australia and we're focusing on the gaming world: protecting players' hearing! A collaborative poll conducted by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other partners has revealed insightful statistics about listening habits in the gaming community. Poll results highlight the potentially harmful effects of prolonged headphone use, particularly among young adults and children who engage in video gaming. These findings are important for the more than 4 in 5 Australians that play video games (Biggs, 2023) In Australia, a 2021 survey revealed that 86% of 15-24 year-olds and 82% of 5-14 year-olds played video games (Hughes). This trend is mirrored in the United States in 2023, where over 90% of children above 2 years old engaged in gaming, with 8-17 year-olds averaging 1.5 to 2 hours of daily play (Alanko). The prevalence of gaming extends to education, with a 2014 study showing that 78% of teachers use games in classrooms (Shapiro). In 2024, under-18s represented 20% of US gamers, totaling 618 million players, highlighting the significant role of video games in modern youth culture and education (Howarth). Lindsay Creed, ASHA’s associate director of audiology practices, emphasised the importance of the issue, stating, "In the US, on average, young adults are gaming for 17 hours per week, and unfortunately, a third of them are already noticing difficulty hearing." Among this group, a quarter believe their gaming habits have contributed to these issues. The survey found 43% of respondents use headphones for extended periods, and nearly 30% do so at high volumes. This combination of prolonged exposure and high volume levels puts gamers at high risk for potential hearing damage. Despite these risks, there seems to be a disconnect between awareness and action. The majority of gamers believe their listening habits are fine as they are, both in terms of volume level (71%) and time spent listening (68%). Less than one-third of video gamers feel they are at risk of hearing loss from playing video games. However, there is hope! The study found that most gamers are receptive to safer listening features proposed by the WHO. These features are expected to have minimal impact on gaming experiences while significantly reducing the risk of hearing loss. To safeguard hearing during play, gamers should: Reduce the volume and use noise-cancelling headphones  Take regular breaks Be aware of the signs of hearing loss, like difficulty understanding conversations in noisy environments Regularly monitor hearing health, using digital screening tools By adopting these practices, gamers can minimise the risk of hearing damage while still enjoying their favourite pastime. Implementing safer listening features, educating gamers about the risks, and promoting responsible headphone use can help ensure that the joy of gaming doesn't come at the cost of long-term hearing damage.

  • View profile for Carolyn Mee, graphic

    Founder of Sound Scouts | Women In Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 | 2016 Woman of Influence | Lumorama

    With news this week that one in three students are failing to meet English and maths standards and 1 in 10 students need additional support, it's worth noting, particularly in relation to literacy, and the reference to phonics testing, that phonics is defined as 'a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with symbols'. What continues to fall on deaf ears, in many parts of this country, is the simple fact that if children can't hear the sounds due to an undiagnosed, untreated hearing issue, they will not progress. They will fall behind. “Hearing is a first-order event in a mainstream classroom; if a child cannot hear spoken instruction, the entire premise of the educational system is undermined” (Crandell, Smaldino & Flexer 2005). Sound Scouts undertook research and also found that 10% of children in low socio economic areas presented with undiagnosed hearing issues. This was double the rate of children with issues in high socio economic areas. Our data was aligned with the poor academic outcomes seen in the most recent NAPLAN results. This is not a coincidence. Children with unmanaged hearing issues struggle to learn because they can't hear what is being said. Until we address student hearing issues we can not expect change.

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  • Sound Scouts was on the road last week in an effort to listen and learn and better understand the hearing needs of folks in regional and remote areas.

    View profile for Carolyn Mee, graphic

    Founder of Sound Scouts | Women In Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 | 2016 Woman of Influence | Lumorama

    Last week I had the opportunity to travel to Bourke in north-west NSW, which for easy reference, is 800kms (or 500miles) from Sydney. Sound Scouts was originally developed to make hearing tests more accessible in regional and remote areas, like Bourke, so it was a wonderful opportunity to introduce the local schools and educators to the app and the supporting software. It was also important for me to get feedback from the locals about the hearing issues they manage on a regular basis. I was very fortunate to meet with visiting Itinerant Hearing Support teachers, in combined meetings with Bourke High School, Bourke Preschool and the Primary School. These incredible Hearing Support teachers travel to the far reaches of the state to provide invaluable PD for school staff along with conductive hearing loss programs for children. The kids are all ears for the entertainment that delivers important messages about hearing and ears! While delivering their lessons the teachers are also observing behaviours, skilled at identifying children with potential hearing issues. My trip also included a visit to the local Catholic Primary school and took me further afield to the township of Brewarrina, famous for the Heritage listed Fish Traps, the oldest manmade infrastructure of its kind. It was a wonderful trip. The locals were warm and welcoming. Sound Scouts was also well received with educators excited to know they could test children's hearing any time they had concerns, which is important particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who often have fluctuating conductive hearing issues. Thanks for having me Bourke! Oh and as a little aside I discovered that Bourke is the final resting place of the inspirational Fred Hollows ❤️ #Bourke #hearingcare

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  • As a digital hearing health company it was great to attend the Digital Health Festival this week in Melbourne. Many insights, catchups and connections!

    View profile for Carolyn Mee, graphic

    Founder of Sound Scouts | Women In Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 | 2016 Woman of Influence | Lumorama

    The Digital Health Festival was the highlight of the week! So much to enjoy from catching up with old friends, meeting new people, gaining insights and .... celebrating the use of technology to deliver an all round more pleasurable experience. To the organisers - thanks for listening! The headphones were fantastic! I'm sure I'm not alone in congratulating you on taking this bold step to make the conference more accessible. The acoustic environment and being able to hear is so often an after thought, but thankfully not this time 👏 We heard it all!

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  • View profile for Carolyn Mee, graphic

    Founder of Sound Scouts | Women In Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 | 2016 Woman of Influence | Lumorama

    Reaching out to my Sydney contacts to help solve a communication issue. A friend's relative has had brain surgery and is struggling to be understood post surgery (due to tube in throat). He has limited mobility so he can't use a device. Is there any assistive tech or perhaps a professional lip reader who might be able to assist in the hospital? Any guidance would be most welcome. TIA

  • A trip to the Capital to support future funding of digital health!

    View profile for Carolyn Mee, graphic

    Founder of Sound Scouts | Women In Digital Innovator of the Year 2020 | 2016 Woman of Influence | Lumorama

    This week has been busy with a mid-week trip to Canberra for the presentation of the L.E.K. Consulting report on the Economic impact assessment of ANDHealth+ and Masterclass: ACCELERATE programs. At a time when access to care, particularly for those in regional and remote areas, is a challenge, digital health offers tangible solutions. The benefits of the funding, managed by ANDHealth, can not be underestimated with support for innovative health companies critical to the growth of the industry, and to increasing the benefits to the wider population. In the case of Sound Scouts over 40% of the hearing tests we enable are undertaken in regional and remote areas. Sound Scouts ensures hearing checks can be delivered without the involvement of a clinician. We have delivered over 175,000 tests across Australia and internationally with many identifying their loss through Sound Scouts and then seeking specialist interventions. It was wonderful to meet the Hon Ged Kearney MP Assistant Minister for Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. We look forward to ongoing support from the Government so we can all benefit from improved access and data driven insights that only digital health solutions can offer.

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