Chagrin Falls

Researchers are evaluating a new medical device designed to improve speech sound differentiation in hospitalized preterm infants. These infants, born between 32 and 35 weeks gestation, are at high risk for developmental delays and poor language outcomes due to limited exposure to infant-directed parental speech in the NICU. The study aims to test whether infants receiving a learning intervention with contingent mothers voice triggered by their sucking show better brain responses to speech sounds compared to those hearing the same voice non-contingently. The study compares two groups one receives 20-minute sessions of non-contingent recorded mothers voice played passively through a speaker device twice daily, and the other receives contingent exposure where the mothers voice plays only when the infant sucks on a pacifier sensor meeting a pressure threshold. The device integrates a sensor into a disposable pacifier connected to a speaker that delivers the voice at safe volume levels, designed for use in NICUs and meeting infection control standards. The intervention lasts up to 20 sessions over 3 weeks. Participants will undergo brain activity measurements using EEG before and after the intervention to assess speech sound processing. The study also explores how NICU background noise and room type affect the interventions effectiveness. Monitoring includes stable physiological states during sessions with nurses or therapists present. The total participation time includes EEG tests and up to three weeks of intervention with follow-up assessments for brain responses.