Social Influences on Sensorimotor Integration of Speech Production and Perception During Early Vocal Learning

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · Nov 29, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how social interactions can help infants learn to produce and understand speech, especially for those with hearing challenges. Researchers want to see if positive encouragement from parents during playtime can boost vocal learning in babies aged 7 to 18 months, particularly for those with sensorineural hearing loss. The study involves parents playing with their infants while saying simple made-up words, and then the infants will listen to recordings of those words. The researchers believe that social support will enhance speech learning even more than just improving hearing.

To participate, infants should be between 7 to 16 months old and have a parent who speaks either English or Spanish. The study includes infants with typical hearing, those with hearing loss, or those using hearing aids or cochlear implants. However, infants will not be eligible if they are not exposed to English or Spanish at home or if their parent cannot take part in the study. Participants can expect a fun and engaging play session that helps the researchers understand how social factors influence speech development.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • infants ca. 7-16 months of age at study onset
• • Infants less than 24 months of age (for follow-up visits only)
• • At least one English-speaking or Spanish-speaking parent in the home who can participate in the study
• • Subjects will include infants with typical hearing, hearing loss, or hearing loss remediated by a hearing aid or cochlear implant.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • infants who are not exposed to English or Spanish in the home
• • infants who do not have a parent who can participate in the study will be excluded (Caregivers who are not parents will not be eligible to participate in the study)