The Benefits of Vibrating Floors for Deaf Children

In view of the difficulties observed in the oral language development of deaf children, it is essential to offer them appropriate and effective care as early as possible. One of the modalities frequently used clinically to stimulate this perception of language in the deaf child is to use the tactile sense via vibrations. One such tactile tool used by speech therapists is the vibrating floor, which enables the child to feel sounds through the vibrations perceived by his or her body. Although used in many institutions, there is very little scientific evidence to date of the effectiveness of using the vibrating floor with deaf children.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Deaf Children
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: vibrating floor; Other: No vibrating floor

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 15
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Anne Bragard, PhD; Phone Number: 003210474393; Email: anne.bragard@uclouvain.be

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Brabant
    • Louvain-la-Neuve, Brabant, Belgium, 1348
      • Recruiting
      • Bragard Anne
      • Contact: Anne Bragard; Email: anne.bragard@uclouvain.be

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Deaf children whose project is to develop oral French language skills
• Deaf children with cochlear implants or hearing aids
• Children with previous experience of the vibrating floor

Exclusion Criteria:

• intellectual disability
• impairment

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: with the vibrating floor	Other: vibrating floor; activities with vibrating floor
Active Comparator: without the vibrating floor	Other: No vibrating floor; activities without vibrating floor

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Language assessment	sound detection, discrimination and repetition	Throughout the entire study, approximately during 24 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Questionnaire on feelings and well-being	feelings about vibrating floor	Throughout the entire study, approximately during 24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Université Catholique de Louvain
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Anne Bragard, PhD, Université Catholique de Louvain

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 8, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 15, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 8, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 25, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): April 30, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 30, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 25, 2024
• Last Verified: April 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: vibrating floor benefits
• Other Study ID Numbers: PLANCHER

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No