Role Title: Enhancing Listening Environments for Children with Otitis Media Intern
Organisation: The Kids Research Institute Australia
Internship Period: Summer (November - December)
Location: Nedlands
Deaf or hearing-impaired children require specialised environments that are often acoustically modified to enable the adequate acquisition of speech and language. These modifications are applied to early learning and pre-school settings due to known difficulties with auditory processing among this population. The same principles are not applied in mainstream settings; however, we know that otitis media (middle ear disease) is highly prevalent in daycare and early learning settings, particularly amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, with most of these children also experiencing hearing loss.
This project will involve conducting a scoping review of the current literature around acoustic and environmental conditions in daycare and early learning settings and the potential benefits of acoustic modifications for mainstream settings, in improving language and developmental outcomes for children.
The Kids Research Institute Australia is based within the Perth Children’s Hospital, and is one of the largest, and most successful medical research institutes in Australia, comprising a dedicated and diverse team of around 1,000 staff, students and honoraries. We've created a bold blueprint that brings together community, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and funders, who share our vision to improve the health and wellbeing of children through excellence in research.