How poverty affects children's hearing and language development
Poverty-Related Risk Factors for Auditory and Language Deficits in Children
This project looks at whether hearing differences and other poverty-related biological risks help explain why young children from low-income families often have trouble learning language.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Gainesville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11166289 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child takes part, researchers will measure how your child hears and processes sounds, test their language skills, and collect information about family talk, stress, and early health factors. The team will compare children from low-income and middle-class homes to see whether subtle hearing-processing delays are more common in poverty and whether strong parent-child language interactions can protect against problems. Tests may include hearing-processing tasks beyond basic hearing thresholds, language assessments, and questionnaires about home language input and health history. The goal is to understand both social and biological contributors so children at risk can be identified earlier.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children from birth through about 11 years old, especially those from low-income families or with concerns about hearing or language development, would be ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children from higher-income families with normal hearing and typical language development are unlikely to get direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help spot children at risk for language delays earlier and point to targeted hearing or language supports that improve outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research shows parental language input explains some gaps in language, but using detailed hearing-processing measures to explain poverty-related language deficits is a relatively new and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Gainesville, United States
- University of Florida — Gainesville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nittrouer, Susan — University of Florida
- Study coordinator: Nittrouer, Susan
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.