Featured Dysphagia Courses
This course, with Dr. Kate Hutcheson, is the first of a two part series for speech language pathologists covering radiation associated dysphagia, or RAD. In this installment, Dr. Hutcheson begins by describing the development of contemporary methods of head and neck radiotherapy. This course also provides background on head and neck cancers, and the role of radiotherapy in treating those conditions. This course will cover patterns of toxicities and the pathophysiology of RAD including variations during the acute, chronic, and late stages. Learn more
Do you think that you’re up for the challenge of being a speech language pathologist in critical care? Once familiar, the intensive care unit (ICU) quickly becomes an intriguing, albeit demanding and fast-paced environment frequently filled the most challenging patients in the hospital. Participants in this course will compare and contrast various hospital ward and ICU patient rooms, and be provided with a broad overview of the impact and consequences of critical care on patients. Dr. Brodsky provides suggestions that will make for more efficient patient contact time and methods for improved communication with medical personnel will also be provided. In addition to directly affecting the improvement of the patient’s overall condition by addressing speech, language, voice, and swallowing issues, speech-language pathologists play an important role in communication between the patient, caregivers, and family, and friends. Learn more
This course will be retired and no longer available as of December 31, 2023. Please complete the course by December 31, 2023 to receive credit or check out the new replacement course Videofluoroscopy Part 1: Indicators for the Exam available now in our catalog.
Video fluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS) are an important tool for speech language pathologists and other allied health professionals to leverage during assessment and treatment planning for persons experiencing dysphagia. This course, with Dr. Catriona Steele, explores the usage and implementation of video fluoroscopy within the context of dysphagia assessment. The course begins by defining and describing dysphagia, and how video fluoroscopy can be used to identify dysphagia and the mechanisms underlying it. The course concludes with several brief case examples demonstrating how video fluoroscopy is used in the assessment process. Learn more
Video Runtime: 118 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 42 Minutes
This course title has been updated. The original title was: Clinical Examination for Dysphagia: New Tools to Aid in Assessment
This course was produced in order to expand our professional perspective relative to clinical assessments conducted for patients with dysphagia. It will explore the potential, as well as the limitations, of clinical examination, exploring both the science and art inherent in this methodology. Emphasis will be placed on expanding the repertoire of tools that can be used in clinical assessment and sharpening observational aptitude to improve diagnostic competence. As a clinician gains skill and confidence in the arts of interviewing, inspecting and analyzing, patterns of impairment will be appreciated and clinical insights into the processes underlying a patient’s swallowing pathology will emerge. Learn more
This course will be retired and no longer available as of January 11, 2022. Please complete the course by December 31, 2021, to receive credit.
This course, with Dr. Ianessa Humbert, offers an in depth assessment of six important swallowing events: triggering the swallow, posterior lingual propulsion, velar elevation, pharyngeal constriction and elevation, laryngeal vestibule closure, and upper esophageal sphincter opening. For each swallowing event, normal and abnormal movements and/or sensation are described, and probing strategies are discussed (i.e. modifying the event with bolus volume, head position, swallowing maneuvers). The information presented is based in research literature, including full citations for further review. This course shows each swallowing event using a combination of representative video fluoroscopic studies and anatomical animations of each abnormal swallowing event. Learn more