Hearing & Quality of Life
Among Children and Youth

University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Washington - Seattle Quality of Life Group
Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, WA

What is the study about?

• We want to learn how being deaf or hard-of-hearing affects the life of children and youth ages 5 to 18 years.  
• We want to find out about how these children and youth think and feel about things in their life.  
• We are using a questionnaire about quality of life just for children and youth who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. 

Who can participate:

Parents:

• If you are a parent or guardian of a deaf or hard-of-hearing youth between ages 5 to 10 years
• Willing to answer questions about your child

Youth:

• If you are deaf or hard-of-hearing and are between the ages of 11 to 18 years
• Able to communicate in written English or ASL/SEE
• Willing to answer questions about yourself
• Have permission from your parent/guardian to participate

What does participation involve?

• Completing a newly created questionnaire.  There is an option to complete the questionnaire in your home and/or online at your convenience
• Releasing information about your/your child’s hearing loss
• You may be asked to take part of the questionnaire a 2nd time.  This is voluntary.
• Participation is completely voluntary and can be stopped at any time.

Do I get anything for participation?

• Participants who complete the study will be paid $25. It takes about 60 minutes. 
• Participants who are asked to take the study a 2nd time will be paid an additional $15

What do I want to do if I want to participate?

• Contact Melissa Garafalo, the study coordinator:
  Phone:  (303) 492-7254 
  Email: garafalo@colorado.edu
  AIM or Skype: ColoHQL
  VP: 128.138.174.46
• Complete our online screening using the ID “platypus2009”:
  Parents of 5- to 10-year-olds
  Youth 11- to 18-years-old (to be completed by the parent)
• Visit our website - http://slhs.colorado.edu/hql

Who is sponsoring the study?

• Dr. Donald Patrick, Director of the Seattle Quality of Life Group, in the Department of Health Services at the University of Washington;
• Dr. Brenda Schick, Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, at the University of Colorado at Boulder;
• Dr. Kathleen Sie at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, WA.

Funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health (NIH-NIDCD).