ListenFuture-Listening for Their Future: Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents

NCT07416292 — Recruiting, 256 participants, Heikki Löppönen

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

Registry	NCT07416292, acronym ListenFuture
Status	Recruiting
Study type	Observational
Enrollment	256 (Estimated)
Sponsor	Heikki Löppönen (Other); collaborators: Åbo Akademi University, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Tampere University Hospital, Turku University Hospital, University of Melbourne, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Conditions	Hearing Disorders and Deafness
Dates	start 2026-03-01 (estimated), primary completion 2029-12-31 (estimated), completion 2031-12-31 (estimated), first posted 2026-02-18, last updated 2026-02-25
Locations	7 sites in Finland

-Summary

ListenFuture, a nation-wide multidisciplinary project, brings new knowledge on complex associations between listening, cognition, language, literacy, and psychosocial wellbeing in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents. Earlier findings indicate that DHH adolescents remain at a risk to achieving age-appropriate skills. The associations among these skills can also be language-dependent. The investigators use behavioral methods and questionnaires. The investigators study speech perception in noise, listening, and listening-related fatigue to reveal how DHH adolescents cope in today's noisy environment. The investigators study cognitive skills and executive functions, spoken language and literacy skills to find out the current state-of-knowledge. The investigators study psychosocial wellbeing, school burnout and factors associated with them. The investigators will utilize supervised and interpretable machine learning to analyse the performance domains that could best predict the outcomes of DHH adolescents. The investigators expect our project to have broad societal impact for DHH adolescents, healthcare, school, and other stakeholders.

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+Detailed description

ListenFuture provides comprehensive insights into challenges deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents face in speech perception, language, and literacy, skills essential for use, creation, and integration of information. The investigators will explore the following skills and their complex associations: 1) auditory speech perception, 2) cognitive skills and executive functions, 3) spoken language, 4) literacy, and 5) psychosocial wellbeing and school burnout. The investigators will analyse the demographic, cognitive, speech perception and language processing domains that best predict the outcomes. ListenFuture has the potential to enhance the wellbeing and participation of DHH adolescents and provide valuable information for intervention services and policy making.

+Arms and interventions

Arm	Type	Interventions	Description
children with hearing loss			children with mild-complete hearing loss
children with typical hearing			normal hearing

+Outcome measures

Primary outcomes

Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF5) [Day 1]: General language skills. Measurement of language performance against age-matched peers

Secondary outcomes

Assessment of reading, writing and arithmetic skills (LUKILASSE) [Day 1]: Assessment of school skills in relation to the goals required by the grade level (in Finnish language)

+Eligibility

Sex: All, ages: 11 Years to 16 Years, accepts healthy volunteers

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

+Locations (7)

Facility	City	Country	Status
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