Summary
There are over 200,000 individuals with Down syndrome in the United States, and most rely on hearing to communicate. The proposed research is relevant to public health because it is focused on understanding how speech perception and auditory skills mature for infants, children, and young adults with Down syndrome. The results generated from this project are expected to provide new information about the factors that support communication outcomes for individuals with Down syndrome, and support the development of interventions to maximize listening, learning, and communication in noisy listening environments, such as classrooms.