First Bite #77 – December 03, 2019
Easing the transition from EI to Schools for our Feeding and Swallowing Friends
(.1 ASHA and AOTA CEUs) For more info, click here.
Course Description
In this episode, Michelle is joined by the author of Management of Swallowing and Feeding in Schools Emily M. Homer, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow! If you have ever been concerned about transitioning your patient from the world of Early Intervention into the Local Education Agency, (LEA), then after this hour you should be armed with knowledge and peace of mind about options to support and ease your little one’s transition. Are you concerned about who will provide services for feeding and swallowing in the LEA? What about if the CCC-SLP at the LEA can make referrals to the medical community? OR…and this is a biggie for the EI CCC-SLP…what can you do to ease the transition from EI to LEA for your patient? Don’t worry Emily Homer, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, will equip you today!
Objective
By the end of this PodCourse, participants will be able to identify and describe:
- 3 considerations for why a LEA (Local Education Agency) or may not offer feeding/dysphagia support for students.
- The legal framework for offering feeding/swallowing support to students, as well as guidelines for making referrals to medical community.
- 3 considerations for the EI SLP when transitioning a patient to the LEA.
Co-Presenter

Emily Homer, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow
Emily M. Homer, a School-based Swallowing and Feeding Consultant worked in the public school setting for 42 years. She was Coordinator of Speech Language and Hearing Services in St. Tammany Parish Schools in Louisiana where in 1996 they established a step-by-step procedure for addressing swallowing and feeding. This procedure has been in use for over 20 years. Ms. Homer works with school districts, state departments of education, school-based SLPs and other team members on establishing a district approved, systematic, team procedure for addressing swallowing and feeding in their districts or states.
She was awarded Fellowship of the Association at the 2018 ASHA Convention and the 1999, Louis M. DiCarlo Award for the establishment of a dysphagia team in the schools. She is the author of Management of Swallowing and Feeding in Schools, by Plural Publishing. Ms. Homer has presented nationally at ASHA Conventions and webinars, most recently, Demystifying Swallowing and Feeding in the Schools. She has published articles in LSHSS, Seminars in Speech and Language, Divisions 13 and 16 Perspectives, Dysphagia Café and Feeding Matters on school-based swallowing and feeding issues. Ms. Homer served as chairman on ASHA’s committee on school-based dysphagia.