In this episode, Dr. Anita Jeyakumar, pediatric ENT at Mercy Health (Youngstown, Ohio) discusses language for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) children with podcast host Dr. Gopi Shah.

First, Dr. Jeyakumar explains the difference between speech and language. She then introduces the concept of “language nutrition,” which describes social exposure to rich and varied language. Acknowledging that language fluency–spoken or visual such as American Sign Language–underlies success, she shares strategies to foster these skills in Deaf and HoH children. Dr. Jeyakumar describes resources that support these patients, including early intervention services for children under age three and school-based resources for older children. She reviews assistive technologies including hearing aids, cochlear implants, and closed captioning. To conclude, she urges physician advocacy to better support the needs of Deaf and HoH children.

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SHOW NOTES

00:00 - Introduction

02:08 - Understanding Language and Speech

04:23 - The Concept of Language Nutrition

07:53 - Addressing Speech Delay in Children

21:32 - The Role of Technology in Supporting Deaf and HoH Children

24:10 - Promoting Health Equity for Deaf and HoH Children

27:52 - Resources for Families of Deaf and HoH Children

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RESOURCES

Dr. Anita Jeyakumar’s Mercy Health Profile:

https://www.mercy.com/find-a-doctor/physicians/anita-s-jeyakumar/1985497

Hands & Voices Guide By Your Side™:

https://www.handsandvoices.org/gbys/

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):

https://www.asha.org/

American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACI Alliance):

https://www.acialliance.org/

A.G. Bell Association for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing:

https://www.agbell.org/