How deaf adults' brains process reading and understanding English
Assessing the neural dynamics of reading in deaf adults
This project looks at how deaf adults' brains recognize words and make sense of sentences while reading.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | San Diego State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11238974 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will compare deaf adults who are skilled readers with those who find reading more difficult and record neural activity while participants complete reading and visual attention tasks. They will examine word-level processing (how written words are recognized) and sentence-level processing (how meaning and grammar are combined), and how language background—such as American Sign Language use, fingerspelling, and phonological skills—shapes those processes. The team will pay special attention to rapid visual processing of letter patterns and to attention to words in the visual periphery to understand how early deafness reshapes reading circuits. Findings aim to explain the brain mechanisms behind successful reading in some deaf adults.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are deaf adults aged 21 or older, including ASL users and finger-spellers, with a range of reading skills who can complete reading and language tasks and share their language history.
Not a fit: This research would not directly apply to hearing individuals without deafness or to children under 21.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could inform more effective, tailored reading instruction and interventions for deaf adults.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have identified a deaf-specific neural profile in skilled readers, but the mechanisms producing those differences remain largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
San Diego, United States
- San Diego State University — San Diego, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Emmorey, Karen — San Diego State University
- Study coordinator: Emmorey, Karen
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.