Participate

​Our studies are actively seeki​ng participants to par​ticipate in research studies. Please fill ​out the form below if you would like to sign up. If you have any ​questions about participation, please email HADL@boystown.org or call (531) 355-6625 and we will get back to you.

​Upon Your Arrival

Once you arrive at Boys Town National Research Hospital, one of our lab employees will greet you in the lobby and escort you to the laboratory. We will walk you through the details of participating in the study and will request that you (and your child if over the age of 7) formally give your consent to participate in the study.

During the Visit

The length of the vis​it varies depending on the child but is always less than 3 hours. The visit can be split into separate sessions if desired or needed. We ensure that children have frequent breaks. Measures that are conducted in our lab include:

• ​Hearing evaluation or hearing screening
• Hearing aid measurement for children who are hard of hearing
• Assessment of speech and language skills such as vocabulary
• Assessment of executive function and working memory
• Sound perception testing. Your child will listen to sounds presented from a speaker or headphones. The sounds are played in quiet or with noise in the background. Your child will tell us what they hear by touching a picture on a computer, by raising their hand, or by repeating back words or sentences that they hear.
• For parents of infants, your baby will sit on your lap and listen to sounds. We will observe your infant's responses to sounds. 
• For parents of toddlers, we will teach your child to make a response to sound by using play activities, such as putting a toy in a bucket when they hear a specific sound.
  
• ​​For participants who are unable to respond by raising their hand, repeating back words, or using play activities, we may use observational techniques to see how they respond to sound.​

After the Visit

At the end of the visit, your child will pick out a small prize as our thank you for participating in the study. In addition, you will be compensated for your time on an hourly basis.

Important Reminders

We want to make this an enjoyable experience for you and your child, so if at any time your child needs a break or needs to end the visit, simply let us know.  If you have any questions before, during, or following any of your visits to our lab, please ask!

Directions and Parking

Our lab address is: 
555 N. 30th Street
Omaha, NE 68131​

Driving directions: Park in the patient parking lot just off 30th and California streets, directly outside of the main hospital lobby. Please check-in for your research appointment at any of the reception desks in the main lobby. The front desk will notify the lab that you are here. If for any reason you need t​o reach us directly, please call (531) 355-6625.