Swallow Assessment Across the Lifespan: From
Bedside to Instrumental - Part 2

Description

Dysphagia assessment follows a recognizable arc—from the bedside clinical examination to instrumental confirmation—yet how clinicians structure observations, select tools, and decide when to advance to instrumentation remains strikingly variable across settings and patient populations. That variability undermines diagnostic precision and the comparability of care.

This two-part series gives speech-language pathologists a systematic, evidence-based framework for navigating the swallow assessment continuum across the full age span. Each session moves from clinical evaluation through instrumental decision-making, with emphasis on selecting between videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) and integrating findings into defensible, patient-centered care plans. Part 1 addresses the pediatric population, from medically fragile neonates in the NICU through school-age children; Part 2 addresses the adult continuum, from screening through instrumental assessment. Taken together, the sessions equip clinicians with repeatable, physiologically grounded decision-making they can apply immediately—whether they work with infants, adults, or a mixed caseload.

Sessions:

Part 1 — Pediatric Swallow Assessment: From Bedside to Instrumental

Presented by Memorie Gosa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, and Pamela Dodrill, PhD, CCC-SLP

Part 2 — Adult Swallow Assessment: From Bedside to Instrumental

Presented by Kendrea L. (Focht) Garand, PhD, CScD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, and Jo Puntil, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, F-ASHA

Register for Part 1 here:

Instructors

Learning Objectives

• Compare dysphagia/aspiration screenings against clinical swallow evaluations.
• Conduct a standardized adult clinical swallow evaluation.
• Distinguish the strengths and limitations of each swallowing evaluation component — screenings, clinical swallow evaluations, and instrumental swallow studies.
• Critique standardized protocols and rating systems used in instrumental swallow studies.
• Select the instrumental swallow study best suited to answer the clinical question.
• Integrate findings to inform a patient-centered care plan for an adult with dysphagia.

Agenda

All times in Eastern Time.

1:35pm–1:40pm

Welcome!

1:40pm–2:05pm

Chapter 1: Screenings

2:05pm–2:30pm

Chapter 2: Clinical Swallow Evaluation

2:30pm–2:55pm

Chapter 3: Foundations of Standardized Instrumental Exams

2:55pm–3:20pm

Chapter 4: Clinical Decision-Making and Case Studies of Instrumental Selection

3:20pm–3:25pm

Break

3:25pm–3:40pm

Question and Answer Session

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