Dysphagia in a public School Setting: Making it Work

Course Description

Course Description:

Children with dysphagia are present in public school programs with increasing frequency but very few public school clinicians feel competent to manage their very complicated sets of needs.   Dysphagia in public school children is a high risk but low frequency phenomenon and as such requires special competencies and attention. This course will provide public school therapists and nurses with the knowledge and skills they need to develop effective programs to facilitate the safety of children with dysphagia, enhance  feeding and swallowing skills, assign responsibilities to various members of the school team, and address both legal and ethical questions.   Special education law as it relates to children with dysphagia will be reviewed.  Specific strategies for assessment and treatment will be provided and ethical considerations in treating this very specialized population will be discussed.  Clinicians will be provided with the information and tools they need to develop appropriate plans for the children with feeding and swallowing concerns in their schools.