On-Demand Webinar

Pediatric Dysphagia: Establishing the Brain-Mouth-Gut Connection

On-Demand Webinar Eligible for .6 ASHA CEUs, click here.

Course Description

For most, the ability to eat with peers in the school cafeteria, or participate in family dinners is a given. However, a significant subset of the population is unable to safely and independently participate in communal mealtime due to oropharyngeal dysphagia. It is crucial that clinicians to be knowledgeable and comfortable with the intricacies of their young patients’ conditions in order to maximize the effectiveness of treatment. This requires a detailed understanding of the Brain-Mouth-Gut connection and the impact common pediatric disorders have on it. Ultimately, it is the clinicians’ goal to establish these connections, and to help patients live up to their fullest potential.

Objective

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • List typical development and sequence of respiration, swallowing, and digestion.
  • State the typical development of reflexes related to mastication and swallowing.
  • Discuss 4 common pediatric medical diagnoses that lead to dysphagia.
  • Describe types of feeding tubes and their impacts on the normal Brain-Mouth-Gut connection.
  • Examine 5 therapeutic interventions to help re-establish the Brain-Mouth-Gut connection.
  • Develop functional feeding strategies that are SES (socio-economic-status) friendly.

Presenter

Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, Coordinator for Clinical Education and Assistant Clinical Professor with the Master of Speech-Language Pathology at Francis Marion University in Florence, SC

Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, Coordinator for Clinical Education and Assistant Clinical Professor with the Master of Speech-Language Pathology at Francis Marion University in Florence, SC, is the acclaimed host of “First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional” a weekly Speech Therapy Podcast that addresses “all thangs” Pediatric Speech Therapy which is presented by Speechtherapypd.com. Recently, Michelle authored, “Chasing the Swallow: Truth, Science, and Hope for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders”. She is an accomplished lecturer; traveling across the nation delivering courses on best practices for evaluation and treatment of the medically complex infant, toddler, and child with respect to their pediatric oropharyngeal dysphagia, pediatric feeding disorder, as well as language acquisition within the framework of Early Intervention.

She has served as the Treasurer for the Council of State Association Presidents, is a Past President of the South Carolina Speech, Language, and Hearing Association, a 2017 graduate of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Leadership Development Program, a 2020 recipient of the Pediatric Feeding Disorder Awareness Champion from Feeding Matters, a 2021 recipient of the Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Outstanding Clinical Achievement from the South Carolina Speech, Language, and Hearing Association, and six time recipient of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s ACE Award for continuing education.