The primary goal of the Center for Hearing Loss in Children is to improve the future prospects of children with educationally significant hearing loss through a tightly integrated program of research, research training, continuing education and information dissemination. The Center will concern itself with children having all degrees of hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound, recognizing that each point along the continuum of impairment poses unique diagnostic and rehabilitative challenges. To achieve the goal of the Center, research efforts will be expanded in three areas: 1) development of improved assessment and remediation strategies for children with hearing loss, 2) the genetics of hearing loss, and 3) animal models of auditory system development. Two research projects are described in each of these areas. Core units will provide administrative, technical, data analysis, and media support, genetics support, and clinical support for identification and management of the hearing-impaired children who participate in research studies. All educational programs will stress the three key aspects of hearing loss in children summarized above. The research training program will encompass training of undergraduate, predoctoral, postdoctoral, and more senior investigators in the above areas, with a unique multilevel program designed to increase the number of gifted deaf students who pursue careers in the communication sciences. The continuing education program will provide training in the three areas to practicing the information dissemination program will draw on our extensive experience in this area to provide a combination of newsletters, video tapes, and other materials to the general public, parents of children with hearing loss, and to the children themselves.
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