Temporal processing in adults with Down's syndrome - Version 1.0

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    An investigation into the temporal processing abilities of adult patients with Down’s syndrome.

  • IRAS ID

    263364

  • Contact name

    Siobhan Brennan

  • Contact email

    siobhan.brennan@sth.nhs.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 6 months, 27 days

  • Research summary

    This research project aims to investigate how people with Down's Syndrome process acoustic stimuli over time (defined as temporal processing). Temporal processing is a vital component of hearing, which is important for understanding speech in different environments; for example, when listening to speech in noise, since speech and background noises vary over time. Temporal processing will be measured using an interactive gap detection game which measures the smallest gaps in noise participants can hear. The temporal processing ability of people with Down syndrome will be compared to people without learning difficulties to see if there are any significant differences between the two groups. If a significant difference is found between the temporal processing abilities of adults with Down’s syndrome and adults without learning difficulties, then this could lead to the future implementation of interventions such as auditory training rehabilitation to improve this processing ability. This could lead to improved communication/ expression in these individuals, thus potentially improving their quality of life. It is hoped that this research will add to the information known regarding the temporal processing abilities of individuals with Down’s Syndrome. This research will also help to evaluate if a modified test of gap detection is useful in evaluating temporal processing abilities in this patient population.

  • REC name

    North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    19/NW/0655

  • Date of REC Opinion

    5 Nov 2019

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion