ISU-Meridian researchers recruiting children for hearing study

ISU-Meridian assistant audiology professor, Gabriel Bargen, Ph.D., is recruiting Treasure Valley children for a study that could lead to better hearing tests for kids.

She and her research team want to evaluate children from birth to 8-years-old who have normal hearing or a hearing loss.  Examinations will be conducted at the ISU-Meridian Audiology Lab, 1311 E. Central Drive, in Meridian.

The study will compare the current gold-standard method of recording auditory brainstem responses to a new method using a recently defined “chirp stimulus,” said Bargen.

Researchers want to know if the “chirp stimulus” is a faster and more efficient way to evaluate hearing in young children.

The evaluation is painless. Children will sit comfortably or sleep while sounds are transmitted to their ears through a soft foam or rubber ear tip, said Bargen.

If you’d like to enroll your child in the study or learn more about the research, contact Bargen at barggabr@isu.edu or 373-1722.  Parents will receive a summary of the test results at no cost.