The Listening Project at Reiss-Davis/Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill15 enrolled

Overview

A research project funded by the Reiss-Davis Child Study Center of Vista Del Mar (RDCSC/VDM) will be conducted on the Vista Del Mar campus of the RDCSC/VDM to evaluate the effectiveness of the Listening Project Protocol (LPP) in children who have difficulties with autonomic and behavior regulation in the classroom. The LPP is designed as a "neural exercise" to reduce auditory hypersensitivities, to improve auditory processing of speech, and to improve behavioral state regulation. The LPP uses acoustic stimulation to exercise the neural regulation of the middle ear structures to rehabilitate and to normalize the acoustic transfer function of the middle ear structures. The current study is being conducted to evaluate efficacy and feasibility of the LPP with emotionally disturbed and learning challenged young people and will use objective measures to evaluate changes in acoustic transfer function of the middle ears structures, auditory processing skills, physiological state regulation, sensory symptoms, and academic pre and post testing.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Auditory Perceptual Disorders Stress Disorder

Listening Project ProtocolBEHAVIORAL

The filtered-music intervention will consist of listening to computer-altered acoustic stimulation, designed to modulate the frequency band of vocal music passed to the participant. The frequency characteristics of the acoustic stimulation are selected to emphasize the relative importance of specific frequencies in conveying the information embedded in human speech. Modulation of the acoustic energy within the frequencies of human voice, similar to an exaggerated vocal prosody, are hypothesized to recruit and modulate the neural regulation of the middle ear muscles and to functionally reduce sound hypersensitivities and improve auditory processing. The non-filtered music intervention will consist of the same music as the filtered-music intervention.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 6 YearsMax age: 17 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * children must be between ages 6-17 years * children must be able to read/speak in English. Parents must be able to read/speak in either English or Spanish * children must be patients, students and/or residents at Reiss-Davis/Vista del Mar Exclusion Criteria: * children who wear a hearing device * children with a history of heart disease * children who are currently being treated for a seizure disorder * children who are non-verbal

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change from baseline in auditory hypersensitivity at 1 week, and at 2 months

Brain-Body Center Sensory Scales (BBC Sensory Scales) (parental questionnaire)

Time frame: pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 2 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes

Change from baseline in state regulation at 1 week, and at 2 months

heart rate, heart period, high-frequency heart rate variability/respiratory sinus arrhythmia

Time frame: pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), immediate post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 2 months post-intervention

Change from baseline in auditory processing at 1 week, and at 2 months

filtered words, competing words subscales of SCAN

Time frame: pre-intervention (within 1 week before intervention), immediate post-intervention (within 1 week after intervention), 2 months post-intervention

Change from baseline in social behavior at 1 week, and at 2 months

Listening Project Parent Questionnaire

Time frame: post-intervention (within 1 week after the intervention), 2 months post-intervention

Change from baseline in middle ear transfer function at 1 week, and at 2 months

Middle Ear Sound Absorption System (MESAS)