Listening, language, and wellbeing in deaf and hard-of-hearing teens

ListenFuture-Listening for Their Future: The Complex Associations Between Hearing, Cognition, Spoken Language, Literacy and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents

This project will see how listening, thinking, language, reading, and wellbeing interact in teenagers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing using tests and questionnaires across Finland.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 256 (estimated)
• Ages: 11 Years to 16 Years
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Kuopio University Hospital (other)
• Locations: 7 sites (Helsinki and 6 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT07416292 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

ListenFuture is a nation‑wide, multidisciplinary project recruiting deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents and a comparison group of typically hearing peers to map speech perception, cognitive skills, language, literacy, and psychosocial wellbeing. Participants complete behavioral tests (including speech-in-noise measures), questionnaires on listening-related fatigue and school burnout, and standardized language and literacy assessments. The investigators will combine demographic, cognitive, speech perception, and language processing data and apply supervised, interpretable machine learning to identify which performance domains best predict outcomes. Results are intended to inform clinical practice, educational support, and policy for DHH adolescents.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents with bilateral mild to profound hearing loss, with a separate comparison group of typically hearing peers who have typical cognitive, language, and literacy development.

Not a fit: Children outside the adolescent age range, adults, and individuals with excluded comorbidities—such as certain heart conditions, developmental brain disorders, chromosome anomalies, severe inner ear malformations, or combined hearing and vision impairment—are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the results could help tailor educational and clinical support to improve communication, literacy, and school wellbeing for DHH adolescents.

How similar studies have performed: Previous research has linked hearing loss with language and psychosocial outcomes, but applying large-scale, interpretable machine learning across these multiple domains in DHH adolescents is relatively novel.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Group 1

   \- Bilateral mild to complete hearing loss
2. Group 2:

   * Typical hearing (PTA\<20dB)
   * Typical cognitive, linguistic and literacy development

Exclusion Criteria:

Group 1 and Group 2:

* heart conditions
* developmental brain disorders
* chromosome anomalies
* severe inner ear anomalies
* impairments in both distance senses hearing and vision

Group 2:

\- concerns regarding attention and psychosocial wellbeing

Where this trial is running

Helsinki and 6 other locations

• Helsinki University Hospital — Helsinki, Finland (RECRUITING)
• Kuopio University Hospital / University of Eastern Finland — Kuopio, Finland (RECRUITING)
• University of Oulu — Oulu, Finland (RECRUITING)
• Oulu University Hospital — Oulu, Finland (RECRUITING)
• Tampere University Hospital — Tampere, Finland (RECRUITING)
• Turku University Hospital — Turku, Finland (RECRUITING)
• Åbo Academy University — Turku, Finland (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Heikki J Löppönen, MD Professor

Conditions: Hearing Disorders and Deafness, burnout, cognition, fatigue, language, listening, literacy, noise