Dysphagia
About
Dysphagia
is characterized by difficulty with swallowing.
The normal swallow is described in terms of four
phases:
- Oral Preparatory: food or liquid is manipulated
in the oral cavity, chewed if necessary, and made into a bolus which is held
against the roof of the mouth
- Oral Phase: the tongue moves the food or liquid
toward the back of the mouth
- Pharyngeal Phase: the swallow reflex is
triggered and the bolus passes through the pharynx
- Esophageal Phase: the bolus travels through the
esophagus into the stomach
Dysphagia may occur in any or all of the four
phases.
Who can this affect?
Children may demonstrate dysphagia due to prematurity,
developmental delay, craniofacial disorders, cerebral palsy, and other
etiologies. Adults may demonstrate dysphagia following neurological injury
(strokes, head injury), degenerative diseases (i.e. Parkinson's disease,
Multiple Sclerosis), cancer, and other etiologies.
Evaluation services (informal)
- in-depth history of the swallowing problem
- oral mechanism function and sensitivity
assessment
- evaluation of trial swallows of food, liquid,
and saliva
Therapy services
- use of different postures during
swallowing
- use of swallowing maneuvers
- sensory awareness training
- varying food and liquid consistency to
maximize swallowing function
Additional resources