In order to select the appropriate treatment techniques for oral and pharyngeal dysphagia in adults, clinicians need to understand the physiology of swallowing. This introductory course discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence base for dysphagia treatment and reviews the principles of neuroplasticity and motor learning as they relate to the effects of injury to the central nervous system and the potential results of swallowing intervention. The presenter discusses examples of neuromuscular treatment for pharyngeal dysphagia and gives tips on analyzing evidence and applying a theory-driven approach.
Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:
- Describe the physiology of the oral and pharyngeal swallow
- State principles of neuroplasticity and motor learning
- Describe examples of neuromuscular treatment for dysphagia
<Related Courses
This course is part of Key Courses on Fundamentals of Dysphagia.
Presenter Information
Nancy B. Swigert, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is president
of Swigert & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm. She
recently retired from Baptist Health Lexington, where
she served as the Director of Speech-Language
Pathology and Respiratory Care for 10 years, then as a
certified Green Belt in Lean/Six Sigma and Process
Excellence Coordinator. She is a Board Certified
Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. She
chaired the American Board of Swallowing and
Swallowing Disorders from 2012–2014. Swigert’s main
clinical interests are in the area of pediatric and adult
dysphagia, and she lectures and writes extensively in
these areas. She also writes and lectures on coding,
documentation, and reimbursement. She served on
ASHA’s Health Care Economics Committee for 9 years
and chaired it for 6. Swigert received her master’s degree from the University of
Tennessee–Knoxville. She received the Honors of ASHA in 2015.
Financial Disclosures:
- Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation
- Royalties from ProEd
Nonfinancial Disclosures:
- ASHA volunteer and frequent contributor to ASHA SIG 13 publications on this
topic
Assessment Type
Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.
To earn continuing education credit, you must complete the learning assessment by the end date below.
Program History and CE Information
Content origination date: June 1, 2017
Peer reviewed: April 2018, November 2022
End date: June 3, 2026
This course is offered for 0.2 ASHA CEUs (Introductory level, Professional area).
