Poorna Kushalnagar
Biographic Data
| ID | 818605 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Poorna Kushalnagar |
| GIVEN NAMES | Poorna |
| FAMILY NAME | Kushalnagar |
| SIGNATURE | KUSHALNAGAR P |
| AFFILIATIONS | Gallaudet University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8658-6932 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 24 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Equitable Access to Telehealth and Other Services for Deaf People During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Introduction: Deaf people who use American Sign Language (ASL) with low self-perceived ability to understand spoken information face inequitable access to health care due to systemic barriers. Methods: We conducted interviews with 266 deaf ASL users at baseline (May–Aug 2020) and 244 deaf ASL users at follow-up (3 months). Questions addressed (1) access to interpretation during in-person visits; (2) whether they visited clinics (3) or emergency d…
Development and Implementation of a Curriculum for Pediatric Trainees on Caring for Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Global Regulatory Review Needed for Cochlear Implants
Health Disparities Among Mid-to-Older Deaf LGBTQ Adults Compared with Mid-to-Older Deaf Non-LGBTQ Adults in the United States
Purpose: To compare chronic health and mental health conditions between mid-to-older deaf lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) and mid-to-older non-LGBTQ adults who are 45 years or older. Methods: Medical conditions and mental health disorders data were gathered from 981 mid-to-older deaf adults (178 LGBTQ and 803 non-LGBTQ) who took the Health Information National Trends Survey in American Sign Language between 2015 and 2019. M…
Prevalence of Anxiety or Depression Diagnosis in Deaf Adults
The national prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders among deaf adults who use American Sign Language (ASL) remains largely understudied. Data for self-reported depression and anxiety disorder diagnosis (n = 1,704 deaf adults; n = 3,287 hearing adults) as told by their healthcare providers were drawn from HINTS-ASL and HINTS datasets. Chi-square and Poisson regression analysis compared characteristics and predictors for depression or anxie…
Critical health literacy in American deaf college students
This study investigates the relationship between critical health literacy (CHL) and discussion of health information among college deaf students who use American Sign Language. CHL is crucial in making appropriate health-related decisions for oneself and aiding others in making good health-choices. Research on general youth population shows that frequent health-related discussions with both friends and family is associated with higher health lite…
Communication barrier in family linked to increased risks for food insecurity among deaf people who use American Sign Language
Objective Food security is defined as being able to access enough food that will help maintain an active, healthy lifestyle for those living in a household. While there are no studies on food security issues among deaf people, research shows that communication barriers early in life are linked to poor physical and mental health outcomes. Childhood communication barriers may also risk later food insecurity. Design/Setting/Subjects A single food se…
Usability of American Sign Language Videos for Presenting Mathematics Assessment Content
There is considerable interest in determining whether high-quality American Sign Language videos can be used as an accommodation in tests of mathematics at both K-12 and postsecondary levels; and in learning more about the usability (e.g., comprehensibility) of ASL videos with two different types of signers - avatar (animated figure) and human. The researchers describe the results of administering each of nine pre-college mathematics items in bot…
Caregiver-Reported Indicators of Communication and Social Functioning for Young Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
We elicited caregiver-reported observations of children aged 5-10 who were deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) that resulted in two age-specific instruments: Caregiver Report of Behaviors and Events (CROBE-DHH 5-7 and 8-10). These new instruments record observations on communication and social behaviors/events. In Study 1, 36 caregivers provided qualitative data on important content on what they were able to observe for instrument development and in St…
Deaf LGBTQ patients’ disclosure of sexual orientation and gender identity to health care providers
Implications for future research and recommendations for providers seeking to develop greater intersectional cultural competencies are discussed, with emphasis on the need for providers to be familiar with health access challenges and inequities facing deaf bisexual and queer women
Avoiding Linguistic Neglect of Deaf Children
Deaf children who are not provided with a sign language early in their development are at risk of linguistic deprivation; they may never be fluent in any language, and they may have deficits in cognitive activities that rely on a firm foundation in a first language. These children are socially and emotionally isolated. Deafness makes a child vulnerable to abuse, and linguistic deprivation compounds the abuse because the child is less able to repo…
Deaf Adolescents’ Learning of Cardiovascular Health Information
Deaf individuals have more cardiovascular risks than the general population that are believed to be related to their cardiovascular health knowledge disparities. This phenomenological study describes where 20 deaf sign language-using adolescents from Rochester, New York, many who possess many positive characteristics to support their health literacy, learn cardiovascular health information and their lived experiences accessing health information.…
Ensuring language acquisition for deaf children
Parents of small deaf children need guidance on constructing home and school environments that affect normal language acquisition. They often turn to physicians and spiritual leaders and, increasingly, the internet. These sources can be underinformed about crucial issues, such as matters of brain plasticity connected to the risk of linguistic deprivation, and delay or disruption in the development of cognitive skills interwoven with linguistic ab…
School Placement and Perceived Quality of Life in Youth Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
In the education of students who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH), there is much debate about how placement affects educational outcomes and quality of life. This study examined the relationship between quality of life and educational placement that include and do not include other DHH youth. Participants included 221 DHH youth, ages 11-18 with bilateral hearing loss. Results showed that there were few differences in quality of life related to …
Language acquisition for deaf children
Children acquire language without instruction as long as they are regularly and meaningfully engaged with an accessible human language. Today, 80% of children born deaf in the developed world are implanted with cochlear devices that allow some of them access to sound in their early years, which helps them to develop speech. However, because of brain plasticity changes during early childhood, children who have not acquired a first language in the …
Engaging the Deaf American Sign Language Community
This report focuses on the use of CBPR principles in a Deaf ASL population; lessons learned can be applied to research with other challenging-to-reach populations
Mode of Communication, Perceived Level of Understanding, and Perceived Quality of Life in Youth Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Given the important role of parent-youth communication in adolescent well-being and quality of life, we sought to examine the relationship between specific communication variables and youth perceived quality of life in general and as a deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) individual. A convenience sample of 230 youth (mean age = 14.1, standard deviation = 2.2; 24% used sign only, 40% speech only, and 36% sign + speech) was surveyed on communication-rela…
Bilingualism and Attention
Early deafness is thought to affect low-level sensorimotor processing such as selective attention, whereas bilingualism is thought to be strongly associated with higher order cognitive processing such as attention switching under cognitive load. This study explores the effects of bimodal-bilingualism (in American Sign Language and written English) on attention switching, in order to contrast the roles of bilingual proficiency and age of acquisiti…
Intelligence, Parental Depression, and Behavior Adaptability in Deaf Children Being Considered for Cochlear Implantation
Cognitive ability and behavioral adaptability are distinct, yet related, constructs that can impact childhood development. Both are often reduced in deaf children of hearing parents who do not provide sufficient language and communication access. Additionally, parental depression is commonly observed due to parent-child communication difficulties that can lead to parents' feelings of inadequacy and frustration. We sought to assess whether adaptiv…
Ensuring language acquisition for deaf children
Parents of small deaf children need guidance on constructing home and school environments that affect normal language acquisition. They often turn to physicians and spiritual leaders and, increasingly, the internet. These sources can be underinformed about crucial issues, such as matters of brain plasticity connected to the risk of linguistic deprivation, and delay or disruption in the development of cognitive skills interwoven with linguistic ab…
Avoiding Linguistic Neglect of Deaf Children
Deaf children who are not provided with a sign language early in their development are at risk of linguistic deprivation; they may never be fluent in any language, and they may have deficits in cognitive activities that rely on a firm foundation in a first language. These children are socially and emotionally isolated. Deafness makes a child vulnerable to abuse, and linguistic deprivation compounds the abuse because the child is less able to repo…
Engaging the Deaf American Sign Language Community
This report focuses on the use of CBPR principles in a Deaf ASL population; lessons learned can be applied to research with other challenging-to-reach populations
Intelligence, Parental Depression, and Behavior Adaptability in Deaf Children Being Considered for Cochlear Implantation
Cognitive ability and behavioral adaptability are distinct, yet related, constructs that can impact childhood development. Both are often reduced in deaf children of hearing parents who do not provide sufficient language and communication access. Additionally, parental depression is commonly observed due to parent-child communication difficulties that can lead to parents' feelings of inadequacy and frustration. We sought to assess whether adaptiv…
Bilingualism and Attention
Early deafness is thought to affect low-level sensorimotor processing such as selective attention, whereas bilingualism is thought to be strongly associated with higher order cognitive processing such as attention switching under cognitive load. This study explores the effects of bimodal-bilingualism (in American Sign Language and written English) on attention switching, in order to contrast the roles of bilingual proficiency and age of acquisiti…
Mode of Communication, Perceived Level of Understanding, and Perceived Quality of Life in Youth Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Given the important role of parent-youth communication in adolescent well-being and quality of life, we sought to examine the relationship between specific communication variables and youth perceived quality of life in general and as a deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) individual. A convenience sample of 230 youth (mean age = 14.1, standard deviation = 2.2; 24% used sign only, 40% speech only, and 36% sign + speech) was surveyed on communication-rela…
Language acquisition for deaf children
Children acquire language without instruction as long as they are regularly and meaningfully engaged with an accessible human language. Today, 80% of children born deaf in the developed world are implanted with cochlear devices that allow some of them access to sound in their early years, which helps them to develop speech. However, because of brain plasticity changes during early childhood, children who have not acquired a first language in the …
Engaging the Deaf American Sign Language Community
This report focuses on the use of CBPR principles in a Deaf ASL population; lessons learned can be applied to research with other challenging-to-reach populations
School Placement and Perceived Quality of Life in Youth Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
In the education of students who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH), there is much debate about how placement affects educational outcomes and quality of life. This study examined the relationship between quality of life and educational placement that include and do not include other DHH youth. Participants included 221 DHH youth, ages 11-18 with bilateral hearing loss. Results showed that there were few differences in quality of life related to …
Ensuring language acquisition for deaf children
Parents of small deaf children need guidance on constructing home and school environments that affect normal language acquisition. They often turn to physicians and spiritual leaders and, increasingly, the internet. These sources can be underinformed about crucial issues, such as matters of brain plasticity connected to the risk of linguistic deprivation, and delay or disruption in the development of cognitive skills interwoven with linguistic ab…
Deaf Adolescents’ Learning of Cardiovascular Health Information
Deaf individuals have more cardiovascular risks than the general population that are believed to be related to their cardiovascular health knowledge disparities. This phenomenological study describes where 20 deaf sign language-using adolescents from Rochester, New York, many who possess many positive characteristics to support their health literacy, learn cardiovascular health information and their lived experiences accessing health information.…
Avoiding Linguistic Neglect of Deaf Children
Deaf children who are not provided with a sign language early in their development are at risk of linguistic deprivation; they may never be fluent in any language, and they may have deficits in cognitive activities that rely on a firm foundation in a first language. These children are socially and emotionally isolated. Deafness makes a child vulnerable to abuse, and linguistic deprivation compounds the abuse because the child is less able to repo…
Critical health literacy in American deaf college students
This study investigates the relationship between critical health literacy (CHL) and discussion of health information among college deaf students who use American Sign Language. CHL is crucial in making appropriate health-related decisions for oneself and aiding others in making good health-choices. Research on general youth population shows that frequent health-related discussions with both friends and family is associated with higher health lite…
Communication barrier in family linked to increased risks for food insecurity among deaf people who use American Sign Language
Objective Food security is defined as being able to access enough food that will help maintain an active, healthy lifestyle for those living in a household. While there are no studies on food security issues among deaf people, research shows that communication barriers early in life are linked to poor physical and mental health outcomes. Childhood communication barriers may also risk later food insecurity. Design/Setting/Subjects A single food se…
Usability of American Sign Language Videos for Presenting Mathematics Assessment Content
There is considerable interest in determining whether high-quality American Sign Language videos can be used as an accommodation in tests of mathematics at both K-12 and postsecondary levels; and in learning more about the usability (e.g., comprehensibility) of ASL videos with two different types of signers - avatar (animated figure) and human. The researchers describe the results of administering each of nine pre-college mathematics items in bot…
Caregiver-Reported Indicators of Communication and Social Functioning for Young Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
We elicited caregiver-reported observations of children aged 5-10 who were deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) that resulted in two age-specific instruments: Caregiver Report of Behaviors and Events (CROBE-DHH 5-7 and 8-10). These new instruments record observations on communication and social behaviors/events. In Study 1, 36 caregivers provided qualitative data on important content on what they were able to observe for instrument development and in St…
Deaf LGBTQ patients’ disclosure of sexual orientation and gender identity to health care providers
Implications for future research and recommendations for providers seeking to develop greater intersectional cultural competencies are discussed, with emphasis on the need for providers to be familiar with health access challenges and inequities facing deaf bisexual and queer women
Health Disparities Among Mid-to-Older Deaf LGBTQ Adults Compared with Mid-to-Older Deaf Non-LGBTQ Adults in the United States
Purpose: To compare chronic health and mental health conditions between mid-to-older deaf lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) and mid-to-older non-LGBTQ adults who are 45 years or older. Methods: Medical conditions and mental health disorders data were gathered from 981 mid-to-older deaf adults (178 LGBTQ and 803 non-LGBTQ) who took the Health Information National Trends Survey in American Sign Language between 2015 and 2019. M…
Prevalence of Anxiety or Depression Diagnosis in Deaf Adults
The national prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders among deaf adults who use American Sign Language (ASL) remains largely understudied. Data for self-reported depression and anxiety disorder diagnosis (n = 1,704 deaf adults; n = 3,287 hearing adults) as told by their healthcare providers were drawn from HINTS-ASL and HINTS datasets. Chi-square and Poisson regression analysis compared characteristics and predictors for depression or anxie…
Global Regulatory Review Needed for Cochlear Implants
Development and Implementation of a Curriculum for Pediatric Trainees on Caring for Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Equitable Access to Telehealth and Other Services for Deaf People During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Introduction: Deaf people who use American Sign Language (ASL) with low self-perceived ability to understand spoken information face inequitable access to health care due to systemic barriers. Methods: We conducted interviews with 266 deaf ASL users at baseline (May–Aug 2020) and 244 deaf ASL users at follow-up (3 months). Questions addressed (1) access to interpretation during in-person visits; (2) whether they visited clinics (3) or emergency d…
Hearing Impairment and Communication (18 works) · Psychology (17 works) · Medicine (13 works) · Sign language (12 works) · American Sign Language (10 works) · Developmental psychology (10 works) · Linguistics (7 works) · Psychiatry (7 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Health care (6 works)