Understanding how infants process speech in relation to hearing and their environment
Official title: Neural Speech Tracking in Infants: Associations with Hearing, Environment, and Language
Funded at Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr · NIH-11031681 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how babies with hearing loss understand speech and how things like their surroundings and hearing abilities influence their language growth, using a special method to track their brain responses to sounds as they grow up.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $162,448 |
| NIH project number | 1K23DC022304-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11031681 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are infants aged 0-12 months who have been diagnosed with hearing loss or are at risk for language development issues.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have hearing loss or are older than 12 months may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how infants with hearing loss process speech and how various factors like their environment and hearing abilities affect language development. Using a technique called neural speech tracking (NST), the study will measure brain responses to speech sounds in infants at different ages. By assessing these responses alongside hearing assessments and environmental influences, the research aims to identify objective markers that can help improve clinical management for infants with hearing loss. The study will follow infants over time to understand how their speech processing abilities develop as they grow.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to better diagnostic tools and interventions for infants with hearing loss, ultimately improving their language development.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in using neural biomarkers for understanding speech processing in infants, indicating that this approach could yield valuable insights.
Where this research is happening
-
Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
Cincinnati, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Blankenship, Chelsea — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Blankenship, Chelsea
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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.