Pediatric Swallow Assessment: From Bedside to
Instrumental (Recorded Webinar)
Presented by Aaron H. Padilla, Memorie Gosa, and Pamela Dodrill
Memorie Gosa, instructor for this educational event, receives compensation from Medbridge for this course. Memorie Gosa has a relationship with Dr. Brown's Medical, which was mitigated.
Pediatric dysphagia is a complex clinical challenge that spans the NICU to the school-age years, encompassing medically fragile neonates, children with congenital anomalies, and those with neurological or developmental conditions. This webinar provides speech-language pathologists with a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for assessing swallowing function in pediatric populations.
The course is organized into three parts. The first part grounds learners in the physiology of the pediatric swallow, highlighting how anatomy, neurology, and behavioral state interact across development. Populations at particular risk—including preterm infants cared for in NICU environments—are examined using content drawn from the authors’ published work in neonatal and pediatric dysphagia.
The second part addresses the clinical swallow evaluation, examining how to structure observations, select developmentally appropriate assessment tools, and interpret findings. Learners will review findings from the systematic reviews by Marshall, Gosa, and Dodrill on both clinical assessment instruments and parent-report outcome measures for pediatric feeding disorder.
The third part focuses on instrumental assessment—VFSS and FEES—with emphasis on clinical decision-making: when to refer, which modality to select, and how to integrate instrumental findings with clinical observations and family priorities. The session concludes with a facilitated Q&A.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze the anatomical and physiological features of the pediatric swallow across developmental stages, including differences between neonatal suckling and more mature eating and drinking patterns
- Examine medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and psychosocial risk factors for pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) across clinical populations, including premature infants and children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, congenital heart disease, and neurological impairment
- Integrate the components of and documentation approach for a structured clinical swallow evaluation (CSE) for infants and children, incorporating standardized clinical assessment tools appropriate to the child’s age and medical context
- Differentiate the clinical utility, psychometric properties, and population-specific evidence for available clinical assessment tools and parent-report outcome measures (PROMs) for pediatric feeding disorder
- Discriminate between the indications, advantages, and limitations of VFSS and FEES for instrumental swallowing assessment in the pediatric population
- Apply the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework to formulate an integrated, patient-centered assessment plan for a child with suspected dysphagia
Meet your instructors
Aaron H. Padilla
Aaron Padilla is an acute care speech-language pathologist in New Mexico. He is a board-certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders and enjoys bridging the gap between the research lab and clinical world through implementation science. He has been a member of the Swallow Disorders Research Lab, collaborating…
Memorie Gosa
Dr. Memorie M. Gosa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CNT, ASHA Fellow, is Chair and Professor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at The University of Alabama. She is a board-certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders, a certified neonatal therapist, and a recognized expert in pediatric dysphagia,…
Pamela Dodrill
Dr Pamela Dodrill is a Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing (BCS-S) and a Certified Neonatal Therapist (CNT). She has worked with infants and children with feeding and swallowing disorders for over two decades. Before relocating to Boston to work at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital NICU,…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Pediatric Swallowing Physiology and Populations at Risk
This chapter establishes the physiological foundation for pediatric swallowing assessment. Learners will examine the four phases of swallow, neonatal suckling mechanics, and how swallowing function changes across development. Special attention is paid to populations at elevated risk for dysphagia, with particular focus on premature neonates and infants in the NICU setting.
2. The Clinical Feeding Evaluation: Infants Through School Age
This chapter provides a systematic approach to the clinical swallow evaluation (CSE), from chart review and caregiver interview through direct observation of feeding. Learners will examine the evidence base for available clinical assessment tools and parent-report outcome measures, drawing directly from two systematic reviews coauthored by the presenters.
3. Instrumental Assessment: When, Which Modality, Decision-Making
This chapter addresses the rationale and process for selecting instrumental swallowing assessment in pediatric patients. Learners will compare VFSS and FEES across key dimensions—indications, procedural considerations, population fit, and limitations—and apply a decision-making framework grounded in the child’s clinical presentation, family priorities, and institutional resources.
4. Question and Answer Session
Moderated by Aaron Padilla (Medbridge). The Q&A will address participant-submitted questions related to all three content chapters. Presenters will prioritize questions that reflect common clinical dilemmas and connect evidence to practice.
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