How Talker and Listener Characteristics Shape Children's Speech Hearing
Official title: CONTRIBUTIONS OF TALKER AND LISTENER FACTORS TO SPEECH PERCEPTION AND FUNCTIONAL HEARING IN CHILDREN
Funded at Father Flanagan's Boys' Home · NIH-11325826 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant tests how a child’s hearing and understanding of speech develops when listening to everyday-style speech from speakers with different accents and ages.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Father Flanagan's Boys' Home NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boys Town, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2025 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $686,856 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC022593-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11325826 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and adolescents (and some adult speakers) involved in hearing and communication development across different accents and speaking styles may participate as part of the age range.
✕Less likely to help
Some children with atypical hearing or language disorders outside the study’s scope may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
The project studies how children understand speech in real life listening conditions as they grow, using tasks with talkers who have unfamiliar accents, casual speaking styles, or who are children themselves. Researchers will collect behavioral data from a wide range of ages and backgrounds to see how real-world speech differences affect comprehension. The study uses naturalistic speech samples and age-appropriate listening tasks to map developmental changes in functional hearing. Findings could help tailor hearing support and communication strategies for children in diverse classrooms and homes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide more effective ways to support children's speech and hearing development in everyday listening situations.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work established feasible methods for collecting reliable hearing data across diverse ages, with ongoing work expanding to naturalistic speech contexts.
Where this research is happening
-
Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
Boys Town, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Leibold, Lori J. — Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
- Study coordinator: Leibold, Lori J.
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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.