Research Project
10442081
PROJECT SUMMARY Nearly 40% of children with hearing loss have a secondary disability, yet audiologists lack the appropriate behavioral assessment procedures to measure hearing in children with diverse or complex developmental profiles. The long-term goal of this line of research is to improve hearing health care for children who have developmental disabilities by transforming behavioral hearing testing methods. The overall objectives of the parent grant are to identify gaps in current clinical care and to isolate methodological and child factors that affect behavioral data. The objective of this administrative supplement is to provide a comprehensive research experience for a student in a clinical audiology doctoral program (AuD) who is from an underrepresented background in health-related research. The candidate will be engaged in training activities that build skills in responsible conduct of research, statistics, data collection, and dissemination of scientific knowledge. Research activities are directly from the parent grant (specific aim 2) and are focused on identifying factors that influence behavioral threshold accuracy using a novel observer-based psychoacoustics procedure with 1.5- to 5-year-old children with different developmental status. This training plan is expected to build research capacity for the candidate and for the field by (1) leading to methodological improvements for evaluating hearing in children with developmental disabilities, and (2) preparing a more diverse workforce.
