Research Summary
Research in the Auditory Processing and Pediatric Listening (APPL) Lab aims to improve outcomes for school-age children with hearing loss. In the lab, we study how children develop the ability to listen in complex acoustic environments (e.g., classrooms), including how children allocate their cognitive resources while listening. In the field, we study how audiologists and teachers work together to support children with hearing loss.
Education
- B.S., Speech and Hearing Sciences, Arizona State University
- Au.D., Doctor of Audiology, Arizona State University
- Ph.D., Hearing Science, Vanderbilt University. Project: Cortical Associates of Speech-in-Noise Perception from Childhood to Adulthood
Biography
Samantha Gustafson, AuD, PhD, CCC-A is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Dr. Gustafson has specialized clinical training in pediatrics and in working with children who have hearing loss along with other healthcare needs. Dr. Gustafson’s research uses a variety of research methods – including behavioral responses and cortical-evoked potentials – to enrich our understanding of typical auditory development in the school-age population, to describe how childhood hearing loss influences this development, and to evaluate the role of hearing assistive technology in mitigating challenges caused by hearing loss. She also studies collaboration between educational audiologists and teachers of students with hearing loss and co-directs a training program for graduate students preparing to work with school-age children with hearing loss.