INCLUDE Audio

Project INCLUDE is an NIH-funded grant awarded to our team to characterize the hearing abilities of individuals with Down syndrome and identify factors that may improve speech recognition in challenging environments. Did you know that hearing loss is a common occurrence for individuals with Down syndrome? Some estimates suggest as many as 50 to 80% of individuals with Down syndrome experience hearing loss. The majority of these hearing losses are due to fluid or infection in the middle ear. However, individuals with Down syndrome also have higher rates of permanent hearing loss than individuals without Down syndrome. Whether permanent or temporary, hearing loss can result in less overall language exposure, language delays, difficulty hearing in background noise, and reduced ability to orient to sounds in the environment. A major aim of Project INCLUDE is to determine what skills are important for successful listening in background noise for individuals with Down syndrome. Our goal is to help families, teachers, and therapists prepare individuals with Down syndrome to reach their full potential.