Forum » School and college issues » Head gear for PE lessons
Head gear for PE lessons
Enquiry: Have you any info or contacts for helmets to protect in PE, teenage cochlear implant users? The Health and Safety advice and risk assessments for schools are getting much tighter. I have a family who have been trying to find a protective and comfortable helmet for some time. Most helmets need some adjustment which can be difficult. This area is one everyone needs to be looking at. It appears that C.I. users will be asked by schools to wear helmets for most PE activities.
Reply: This question has been raised a number of times and without a satisfactory resolution. Many young users take part in school sport without the use of headgear; it would be interesting to have statistics on how many children have incurred problems in this way.
There are many teenagers who will be extremely put out at having to look different from their peers especially when they may not be able to perceive a good reason for this. These children may have taken part in all the sports they do at school while at home and without wearing additional head protection.
The BCIG safety guidelines are always useful in considering this. They give advice about what precautions need to be taken for different sports.
To date, we have not been able to find the ideal head wear. Anecdotally boys often wear normal scrum caps which tend not to be rigid and allow a degree of flexibility. An example of such a cap which has been worn successfully by some is a Canterbury scrum cap which can be seen at this link. This is hardly an attractive proposition for girls but there may be a gap in the market. Any experiences on this would be very gratefully received.
We have mentioned Howard Phillips on these pages before. He works for Taycare Medical Limited who supply orthotic products. He has made a helmet for an implanted child with additional balance difficulties who had to wear a helmet at all time. For those experiencing particular differences, in dire straits, it may be worth contacting him. If this is going to become a big issue, perhaps we should be encouraging manufacturers to look at it.
Posted on July 3, 2009 16:22
Comments
My 12 year old son is football mad, has had his CI just over a year, he plays for his local team, school team and regional disability centre of excellence. We tried all manner of scrum hats, none of which worked, they were either to tight against his processor or constantly rubbed against the coil thus knocking it off. He now plays in a head band which is tied at the back of his head. This offers very little in protection but keeps his CI and hearing aid in place during play and he is very happy wearing it. I believe the FA's rules are that the wearers choice to wear the implant in play or not. I do believe there is a gap in the market, but it is a small market and I don't believe scrum hats can fill it. We also tried a soccer padded head band from the US which again rubbed against his CI. At the moment our school is happy with him wearing his headband.
Posted by DANIEL JACKSON on December 4, 2009 15:27
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