Swallowing Disorders In Schools

The opportunity to observe the work overview of a Speech Pathologist, has tremendously solidified my interest in this field. At the Diana Rogovin Speech Center at Brooklyn College, I observed clients of various ages with different speech language disorders including articulation, language, voice, fluency and accent modification. Observing clinicians at the speech center gave me the opportunity to learn how important client-clinician interaction is for the session and how essential it is to build a good relationship with the client. Although I learned the

As dementia progresses, swallowing difficulties (called dysphagia) become more common, although they can vary from person to person. If a person is having difficulty with swallowing, a referral to a speech and language therapist can help. Difficulties can include holding food in the mouth, continuous chewing, and leaving foods that are harder to chew (eg hard vegetables) on the plate. Swallowing difficulties can also lead to weight loss, malnutrition and

This occurs due to diminished mental capacity, structural abnormalities such as unrepaired cleft palates, or lack of commitment on the part of the patient. An additional challenge sometimes faced by a school based SLP is dealing with difficult parents and rigid and sometimes unrealistic district expectations. However, despite the challenges faced by speech pathologists, the field of study continues to grow with an expectation of a 21% increase by 2024 (“Speech-Language Pathologists”). While jobs as an SLP are readily available nationwide in a variety of different settings, the key areas of growth in the field are in the states of Illinois, North Carolina, Texas, New York, and Ohio (“Best”). The growth of the field is due largely in part to people’s increased awareness of the benefits of treatment by a speech pathologist. SLPs provide treatments which allow individuals to function better in daily life. For example, SLPs in the education field provide techniques and strategies to help students function better both in the classroom and socially. SLPs in the medical field provide support in regaining the ability to accomplish daily tasks, safely ingest solid foods, and interact socially with family and

From being diagnosed at a young age with dyslexia and apraxia of the speech, I am not sure where I would be without the help and encouragement of my speech pathologists. ‘Speech-language pathologists assess, diagnose, treat, and help to prevent communication and swallowing disorders in patients’ (Summary, www.bls.org, 2015). Along with helping their patients overcome or learn how to understand their disorders, speech pathologists must keep records.

The scope of practice of speech-language pathology describes the ethical and clinical responsibility of clinicians to implement therapy techniques, which contains efficacy that is supported by evidence. Non-speech oral-motor exercises (NSOMEs), in particular have raised controversy among speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and researchers when treating children with articulation and phonological disorders. The use of NSOMEs is a debated issue in the profession due to the lack of evidence based practice (EBP), poor clinical assumptions, and the avoidance of meeting the client’s needs.

CAS is one of the most difficult disorders to diagnose. Many speech pathologists are worried that it is commonly over diagnosed and misdiagnosed (“Apraxia: Speech Therapy,” 2011). It is not known how many children actually have CAS, but it appears to be on the rise. Certain factors, such as increased awareness of CAS by professionals and families, evaluation and identification

The fluoroscopy and the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy are different, but remarkable diagnostic methods used for the people suffering from dysphagia. Dysphagia is a medical term that means difficulty swallowing due to abnormal contractions of the esophageal muscles. It is important to find a quick evaluation that will lead to a better diagnosis and recovery with lesser complications. This research paper will discuss the appropriate diagnostic method by comparing between the fluoroscopic unit, and the UGI endoscopy. Data will be collected from King Abdul Aziz University hospital, the sample will be a large diverse patients with dysphagia as the main complaint.

Ibrahim, Kilpatrick, Reilly, and Vogel (2009) performed a comparative study of the acoustic measures of hypernasality in the speech of school-aged children aged 2-14 years, some with cleft lip/palate and others without cleft lip/palate. Ibrahim, Kilpatrick, Reilly, and Vogel (2009) provided perceptual ratings of the hyper/hyponasality of vowel production in the children’s speech. Any child who was sick or had acquired an upper respiratory infection was excluded from the study, as was any child with cleft lip/palate who also had any other disorders or comorbidities. The study included a perceptual assessment in which two speech therapists were required to agree upon the perception of the phonemes the child produced. Each child held and sustained two vowels, followed by production of two CVC words without nasal phonemes. This process was repeated five times with each child. The

Clinical Implications: Minimal-contrast treatment is effective and efficient for treating children with phonological disability. Avoiding listener confusion is motivating for suppressing process use.

The video that was observed was a three-year child that was given a modified barium swallow. The child is diagnosed with a microdeletion of the twenty-second chromosome. He also suffers from multiple heart defects, scoliosis, immune deficiencies, and developmental delays. The child's oral preparatory, oral transport, pharyngeal, and esophageal stages of swallowing were observed during the modified barium swallow.

You may be surprised how many times you swallow throughout the day -- every time you eat or drink something, you have to swallow multiple times. You also swallow salvia throughout the day. The condition where one has difficulty swallowing is referred to as dysphagia or the swallowing disorder. Use this guide to better understand what your loved one is going through, and how a qualified speech pathologist can assist them.

The 52 children were then compared with a control group made up of 48 children (with no pharyngeal flaps); Twenty-seven of the children had clefts of the lip and palate (CLP) and the other 21 children had clefts of the palate only (CP). Evaluation of speech and language proficiency was made on each child’s birthday from three years of age through adolescence (Riski, 1979). The oral-nasal balance was screened via conversational speech by a highly qualified speech pathologist. If a child’s oral-nasal resonance was within normal limits, it was marked as “acceptable”. On the contrary, if a child’s oral-nasal resonance was not within normal limits, it was marked as “unacceptable”. Overall, results of this study suggested that children who had pharyngeal-flap surgery were delayed in speech sound acquisition. Articulation for each child was measured using the Templin Darley 50-Item Screening Test. To obtain an analysis, the scores of each child were compared to the mean scores of Templin’s (1957) normative sample. Articulation developmental was measured by dividing the study group by cleft type. The two cleft groups were then compared to the non-cleft group tested by Templin (1957). Findings suggested that the CLP group followed the same curve as the normal, although it was usually a year behind the normal group (Riski, 1979). Comparatively, the CLP-F children demonstrated a much slower rate of articulation acquisition before the age of six years than did the CLP children. Additionally, between the ages of six and eight years, the CLP-F children demonstrated a rapid increase in the acquisition of speech sounds and were catching up to the speech proficiency demonstrated by the CLP group. Similarly, the CP and CP-F groups were compared.

An orofacial examination testing sensation, range of motion, and strength revealed mandibular and buccal function be within normal limits, right-tongue weakness and fasciculation’s Diadochokinetic rate or of labial movement and respiratory rate was within normal limits. Dentition intact with ample occlusion. Palatine tonsils and anterior faucial pillars were normal in appearance. CF’s gag reflex was present indicating functional constriction of the oropharynx. The production of prolonged /a/ indicated decreased velum function which question adequate velopharyngeal closure. Lingual function was atypical in range of motion and strength, but had normal sensation. Diadochokinetic rate of lingual movement was reduced during the production of /t/, and /k/ sounds. Oral mucosa was checked and no signs of thrush or leukoplakia were present. All facial and oral cavity structures were judged to be symmetrical. CF was alert, attentive and oriented to person, place and time, and able to follow multi-step directions throughout the swallowing evaluation.

Critique: This was a very small study done and did not provide a representative sample of the dysphagia population, only studying patients whom had suffered a CVA. The sample size of this study was limited due to the numerous subjects who declined participation after education of the protocol or because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Even though there were no instances of aspiration pneumonia in the group who was allowed the free water protocol, this study is limited in it’s clinical significance. It is important to note however, that patients who were involved in the FWP study group had a much higher patient satisfaction compared to their modified diet of thickened liquids counterparts.

Many speech language pathologists (SLPs), after diagnosing a child with stuttering are left with the problems of what treatment program should be implemented and what are the chances that the