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COMPLEX LISTENING SKILLS IN SCHOOL-AGE HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN

Award Number: R01DC013591
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/01/2013
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2025

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COMPLEX LISTENING SKILLS IN SCHOOL-AGE HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Many children with hearing loss (CHL) now receive early intervention within the first few months of life. Even with early intervention, however, some CHL with hearing aids do not reach their full developmental potential. Challenges are compounded in learning and social environments because most listening environments are characterized by background noise. CHL experience significantly greater difficulty than children with normal hearing (CNH) with understanding speech in noisy situations. CHL who wear hearing aids are an under- studied population, leading to substantial gaps in our knowledge regarding the underlying mechanisms for their speech in noise deficits. A limited understanding of the mechanisms for speech recognition in noise hinders the development of targeted intervention strategies to reduce these deficits. The current proposal will identify factors that underlie variability in speech recognition in noise in school-age CHL who use hearing aids. This proposal is based on the premise that selective attention, working memory, and language support processes that are crucial for speech recognition in noise. The current proposal seeks to test the hypothesis that CHL with better selective attention, working memory, and language abilities will have stronger spectral resolution, perceptual weighting for speech, and less susceptibility to informational masking. Advantages in these skills will be associated with better speech understanding in noise. Three specific aims are proposed: Aim 1. Examine the effects of selective attention, working memory, and spectral resolution on speech recognition in noise. Aim 2. Characterize the effects of selective attention and language on perceptual weighting for speech in noise. Aim 3. Evaluate selective attention as a predictor of speech recognition in speech maskers. In Aim 1, we will examine measures of selective attention, working memory, and spectral resolution on speech recognition in noise for CNH and CHL. We predict that selective attention and working memory support spectral resolution in children, which in turn support speech recognition in noise. In Aim 2, perceptual weighting functions will be measured for speech stimuli that vary in linguistic complexity. We predict that CNH and CHL with stronger selective attention, working memory, and language skills will have perceptual weights concentrated in mid-frequency bands, reflecting mature and selective listening that is less susceptible to noise. In Aim 3, we will assess the effects of selective attention on speech recognition with speech maskers that produce informational masking. We predict that CNH and CHL who have stronger selective attention skills will have less susceptibility to informational masking than peers with poorer skills, but that this effect is mediated by the child's language and working memory abilities. The data generated from this proposal will inform theoretical models regarding speech recognition in CNH and CHL. The proposed studies will also provide empirical evidence for the development of individualized strategies for prescribing hearing aids for children that are based on the child's individual cognitive and linguistic skills.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2023	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	14100 CRAWFORD ST	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	10	12/9/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $569,595 )
2023	2023	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	14100 CRAWFORD ST	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	10	8/1/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$569,595
														Subtotal = $569,595

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $572,213 )
2022	2022	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	13603 FLANAGAN BLVD	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	9	7/26/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$572,213
														Subtotal = $572,213

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $572,213 )
2021	2021	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	13603 FLANAGAN BLVD	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	8	7/27/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$572,213
														Subtotal = $572,213

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $572,213 )
2020	2020	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	13603 FLANAGAN BLVD	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	7	7/14/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$572,213
2020	2018	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	13603 FLANAGAN BLVD	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	1/7/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $572,213

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $586,978 )
2019	2019	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	13603 FLANAGAN BLVD	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	6	7/2/2019	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$586,978
2019	2018	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	13603 FLANAGAN BLVD	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	6/27/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $586,978

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $374,819 )
2018	2018	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	13603 FLANAGAN BLVD	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	5	4/4/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$37,483
2018	2018	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME	13603 FLANAGAN BLVD	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	11/29/2017	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$337,336
														Subtotal = $374,819

Issue Date FY: 2017 ( Subtotal = $374,753 )
2017	2017	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOY'S HOME INC	14100 CRAWFORD ST	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	4	11/10/2016	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$337,277
2017	2017	FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOY'S HOME INC	14100 CRAWFORD ST	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	4	5/24/2017	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$37,476
														Subtotal = $374,753

Issue Date FY: 2016 ( Subtotal = $374,685 )
2016	2016	FATHER FLANAGAN`S BOYS` HOME	14100 CRAWFORD STREET	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	11/10/2015	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$337,215
2016	2016	FATHER FLANAGAN`S BOYS` HOME	14100 CRAWFORD STREET	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	3	1/7/2016	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$37,470
														Subtotal = $374,685

Issue Date FY: 2015 ( Subtotal = $370,869 )
2015	2015	FATHER FLANAGAN`S BOYS` HOME	14100 CRAWFORD STREET	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	11/4/2014	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$337,155
2015	2015	FATHER FLANAGAN`S BOYS` HOME	14100 CRAWFORD STREET	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	2	1/13/2015	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$33,714
														Subtotal = $370,869

Issue Date FY: 2014 ( Subtotal = $386,904 )
2014	2014	FATHER FLANAGAN`S BOYS` HOME	14100 CRAWFORD STREET	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	11/7/2013	NEW	$328,869
2014	2014	FATHER FLANAGAN`S BOYS` HOME	14100 CRAWFORD STREET	BOYS TOWN	NE	68010	DOUGLAS	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	1	1/27/2014	NEW	$58,035
														Subtotal = $386,904

Grand Total All Awards = $4,755,242

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COMPLEX LISTENING SKILLS IN SCHOOL-AGE HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN

Award Number: R01DC013591

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 12/01/2013

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2025

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