The Adjustment, Behavior, Language and Executive Functioning Project (ABLE)
Irina Castellanos
Primary Investigator
Brief description of study
We are actively recruiting preschool children (both Cochlear Implant users and Normal Hearing) to participate in a new, NIH funded, longitudinal research study on psychosocial outcomes, titled The Adjustment, Behavior, Language and Executive Functioning (ABLE) Project. In the ABLE project, we investigate how preschool children’s ability to identify, plan, execute, and evaluate goals contributes to social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes.
Who can take part in this study?
Age: Preschool children between the ages of 3–6 years.
Language: Spoken English is the primary language.
Hearing:
CI Users: Bilateral severe-to-profound hearing loss prior to age 3 years with at least one CI activated by age 3.
Normal Hearing Peers: Hearing within normal limits in both ears.
Detailed description of study
What will happen during the study?
Participants will be invited to come to an in-person study visit at Riley Hospital that will take about 1 - 2 hours.
Parents/guardians will fill out questionnaires and answer some questions about the child’s hearing, language, learning, thinking, memory, behavior, developmental and medical history, and demographic information.
Parent and child will work with a researcher to complete some game-like tasks and tests that measure language skills and cognitive abilities.
The assessment includes a play session in which parent and child will play with toys and complete puzzles.
Parent and child may be invited back for two additional yearly follow-up study visits.
Incentive/compensation
Participants receive payment at the rates listed below for their total time at the study visit plus time in round-trip travel to Riley Hospital:
- 1st study visit - $50/hour
- 2nd study visit - $60/hour
- 3rd studyvisit - $70/hour
Lodging costs will be paid for CI families who live outside of the Indianapolis area and whose participation in our projects requires that they stay overnight in the area.
Additional information
The study is being conducted by Dr. Irina Castellanos of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine. It is funded by the National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).
Eligibility of study
You may be eligible for this study if you meet the following criteria:
- Conditions: Healthy, Hearing loss, Hearing impairment
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Age: 3 years - 6 years
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Gender: All
Inclusion criteria for CI participants
Bilateral severe-to-profound hearing loss (>70 dB HL) prior to age 3 years
At least one multichannel CI activated by age 3 years
Live in a home environment in which spoken English is the primary language
Inclusion criteria for normal hearing control participants
Normal hearing and language development
Live in a home environment in which spoken English is the primary language
Exclusion Criteria:
Reported history of intellectual disability or other developmental/neurological diagnosis that interferes with neurocognitive functioning