Hearing Disorders and DeafnessListenFutureNCT07416292
ListenFuture-Listening for Their Future: Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents
An observational study of Hearing Disorders and Deafness, run by Heikki Löppönen at 7 sites in Finland.
Trial summary
ListenFuture, a nation-wide multidisciplinary project, brings new knowledge on complex associations between listening, cognition, language, literacy, and psychosocial wellbeing in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 11 to 16 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Hearing Disorders and Deafness
- How many people
- 256 participants
- Where
- 7 sitesFinland
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2026to 31 Dec 2031
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 11 to 16 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Study population: Children with hearing loss are voluntary participants who are in care at the university hospitals in Finland. Children with typical hearing are voluntary participants from the cities of Finland.
Who may be able to join
- Group 1
- Bilateral mild to complete hearing loss
- Group 2:
- Typical hearing (PTA<20dB)
- Typical cognitive, linguistic and literacy development
Who cannot join
- Group 1 and Group 2:
- heart conditions
- developmental brain disorders
- chromosome anomalies
- severe inner ear anomalies
- impairments in both distance senses hearing and vision
- Group 2:
- concerns regarding attention and psychosocial wellbeing
Trial locations and contacts
7 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
7 sites in 1 country
Finland7 sites, 7 recruiting
- Recruiting
Helsinki University Hospital
Helsinki, 00029
Antti A Aarnisalo, MD PhD, +35850563458, antti.aarnisalo@hus.fi
- Recruiting
Kuopio University Hospital / University of Eastern Finland
Kuopio, 70029
Aarno J Dietz, MD Professor, +3580447172849, aarno.dietz@pshyvinvointialue.fi
- Recruiting
University of Oulu
Oulu, 90014
Sari M Kunnari, PhD Professor, +358294483392, sari.kunnari@oulu.fi
- Recruiting
Oulu University Hospital
Oulu, 90220
Jaakko Laitakari, MD PhD, +35883153027, jaakko.laitakari@pohde.fi
- Recruiting
Tampere University Hospital
Tampere, 33101
Jarno Kujansivu, MD, +358331164891, jarno.kujansivu@pirha.fi
- Recruiting
Turku University Hospital
Turku, 20521
Tytti Willberg, MD PhD, +35823135979, tytti.willberg@varha.fi
- Recruiting
Åbo Academy University
Turku, 20700
Taina T Välimaa, PhD Professor, +358405399432, taina.valimaa@abo.fi
About this study
Official title: ListenFuture-Listening for Their Future: The Complex Associations Between Hearing, Cognition, Spoken Language, Literacy and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents
ListenFuture, a nation-wide multidisciplinary project, brings new knowledge on complex associations between listening, cognition, language, literacy, and psychosocial wellbeing in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents. Earlier findings indicate that DHH adolescents remain at a risk to achieving age-appropriate skills. The associations among these skills can also be language-dependent. The investigators use behavioral methods and questionnaires. The investigators study speech perception in noise, listening, and listening-related fatigue to reveal how DHH adolescents cope in today's noisy environment. The investigators study cognitive skills and executive functions, spoken language and literacy skills to find out the current state-of-knowledge. The investigators study psychosocial wellbeing, school burnout and factors associated with them. The investigators will utilize supervised and interpretable machine learning to analyse the performance domains that could best predict the outcomes of DHH adolescents. The investigators expect our project to have broad societal impact for DHH adolescents, healthcare, school, and other stakeholders.
Read the detailed description
ListenFuture provides comprehensive insights into challenges deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents face in speech perception, language, and literacy, skills essential for use, creation, and integration of information. The investigators will explore the following skills and their complex associations: 1) auditory speech perception, 2) cognitive skills and executive functions, 3) spoken language, 4) literacy, and 5) psychosocial wellbeing and school burnout. The investigators will analyse the demographic, cognitive, speech perception and language processing domains that best predict the outcomes. ListenFuture has the potential to enhance the wellbeing and participation of DHH adolescents and provide valuable information for intervention services and policy making.
- Conditions
- Hearing Disorders and Deafness
- Keywords
- burnout, cognition, fatigue, language, listening, literacy, noise
- Medical subject headings
- Hearing Disorders, Deafness, Burnout, Psychological, Fatigue, Language, Literacy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| children with hearing loss | children with mild-complete hearing loss | |
| children with typical hearing | normal hearing |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF5)
General language skills. Measurement of language performance against age-matched peers
Measured: Day 1
Secondary outcomes (1)
Assessment of reading, writing and arithmetic skills (LUKILASSE)
Assessment of school skills in relation to the goals required by the grade level (in Finnish language)
Measured: Day 1
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 Feb 2026
- Study start1 Mar 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion31 Dec 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2031 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Hearing Disorders and DeafnessStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 256 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Heikki Löppönen
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Åbo Akademi University, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Tampere University Hospital, Turku University Hospital, University of Melbourne, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Heikki Löppönen, Kuopio University Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07416292
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 5551909
- Acronym
- ListenFuture
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 10 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 25 Feb 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: anonymized and published outcome data can be shared with other researchers when the research completed
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 Feb 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- ListenFuture-Listening for Their Future: The Complex Associations Between Hearing, Cognition, Spoken Language, Literacy and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07416292
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ListenFuture / 5551909
- Conditions
- Hearing Disorders and Deafness
- Keywords
- burnout, cognition, fatigue, language, listening, literacy, noise
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 256 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Heikki LöppönenUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Åbo Akademi University, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Kuopio University Hospital, University of Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, Tampere University Hospital, Turku University Hospital, University of Melbourne, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study start
- 1 Mar 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2031 (estimated)
- First posted
- 18 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
ListenFuture, a nation-wide multidisciplinary project, brings new knowledge on complex associations between listening, cognition, language, literacy, and psychosocial wellbeing in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents. Earlier findings indicate that DHH adolescents remain at a risk to achieving age-appropriate skills. The associations among these skills can also be language-dependent. The investigators use behavioral methods and questionnaires. The investigators study speech perception in noise, listening, and listening-related fatigue to reveal how DHH adolescents cope in today's noisy environment. The investigators study cognitive skills and executive functions, spoken language and literacy skills to find out the current state-of-knowledge. The investigators study psychosocial wellbeing, school burnout and factors associated with them. The investigators will utilize supervised and interpretable machine learning to analyse the performance domains that could best predict the outcomes of DHH adolescents. The investigators expect our project to have broad societal impact for DHH adolescents, healthcare, school, and other stakeholders.
Detailed description
ListenFuture provides comprehensive insights into challenges deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents face in speech perception, language, and literacy, skills essential for use, creation, and integration of information. The investigators will explore the following skills and their complex associations: 1) auditory speech perception, 2) cognitive skills and executive functions, 3) spoken language, 4) literacy, and 5) psychosocial wellbeing and school burnout. The investigators will analyse the demographic, cognitive, speech perception and language processing domains that best predict the outcomes. ListenFuture has the potential to enhance the wellbeing and participation of DHH adolescents and provide valuable information for intervention services and policy making.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| children with hearing loss | – | –children with mild-complete hearing loss |
| children with typical hearing | – | –normal hearing |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 11 to 16 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
- Study population
- Children with hearing loss are voluntary participants who are in care at the university hospitals in Finland. Children with typical hearing are voluntary participants from the cities of Finland.
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Group 1
- Group 2:
Key exclusion criteria (8 listed)
- heart conditions
- developmental brain disorders
- chromosome anomalies
- severe inner ear anomalies
- impairments in both distance senses hearing and vision
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF5)
Time frame: Day 1
General language skills. Measurement of language performance against age-matched peers
1 secondary outcome
Assessment of reading, writing and arithmetic skills (LUKILASSE)
Time frame: Day 1
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 25 Feb 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. anonymized and published outcome data can be shared with other researchers when the research completed
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
7 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Hearing Disorders and Deafness, run by Heikki Löppönen at 7 sites in Finland.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 Feb 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 7 sites in Finland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Heikki J Löppönen, MD Professor (+358405656183, heikki.lopponen@uef.fi), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF5) (time frame: Day 1). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 Feb 2026.