Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders

To investigate solutions to problems directly relevant to individuals with deafness or disorders of human communication in the areas of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) supports research and research training, including investigation into the etiology, pathology, detection, treatment, and prevention of disorders of hearing and other communication processes, primarily through the support of basic and applied research in anatomy, audiology, biochemistry, bioengineering, epidemiology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, the neurosciences, otolaryngology, psychology, pharmacology, physiology, psychophysics, speech-language pathology, and other scientific disciplines. The NIDCD supports: (1) Research into the evaluation of techniques and devices used in diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of disorders of hearing and other communication processes; (2) research into prevention and early detection and diagnosis of hearing loss and speech, voice, and language disorders and research into preventing the effects of such disorders by means of appropriate referral and rehabilitation; (3) research into the detection, treatment, and prevention of disorders of hearing and other communication processes in the elderly population and its rehabilitation to ensure continued effective communication skills; and (4) research to expand knowledge of the effects of environmental agents that influence hearing or other communication processes.