Course Description:

This 3-day workshop will focus on what members of a multidisciplinary team need to know about the assessment and treatment of infants and children with neuromuscular impairments and challenges to their oral, pharyngeal, feeding/swallowing, and respiratory coordination function. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding the primary areas that may be influencing a child’s feeding and swallowing function; the impact that body alignment, active postural control, and sensory factors have on oral and pharyngeal function; the special role that respiratory system structures and function play in oral, pharyngeal, and feeding/swallowing function; and suggestions for the incorporation of strategies focusing on these areas into treatment programming. Strategies to improve oral motor, oral sensory, pharyngeal, rib cage, and respiratory musculature activity will be discussed as they relate to findings obtained during a comprehensive clinical assessment. Differences between intervention strategies appropriate for direct treatment and for carryover activities such as mealtime feeding will be delineated. Audiovisual materials and a patient demonstration session will be used to provide problem-solving experiences to assist participants in integrating information.