Identification, Assessment, Management and Rehabilitation of Dysphagia:

An Update on Current Best Practices for Speech-Language Pathologists

A two-day workshop with instructor
Catriona M. Steele, Ph.D, MHSc, SLP(c), CCC-SLP, Reg CASLPO

Ottawa - September 16 – 17, 2010
Hampton Inn Ottawa & Conference Centre

Vancouver – February 7 – 8, 2011
British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) – Downtown Campus

Edmonton – February 10 – 11, 2011
Matrix Hotel

Registration is open! Click here to register now!

Download the brochure

 

Course Description

This intermediate-advanced 2-day workshop provides an evidence-based update on current practices in swallowing identification, assessment, management and rehabilitation. Participants will consider current best evidence as it applies to the programs and services offered for adult patients with dysphagia in their workplace. We will critically review current practices, exploring current research evidence that supports or challenges these approaches. The current regulations applying to dysphagia practice in Ontario will be emphasized. Participants will have the opportunity to consider several case scenarios and to critically evaluate the decisions that would be made regarding assessment and treatment options for such patients. Videofluoroscopic examples will be used to support the review and discussion of treatment planning for patients with specific presentations. Examples and case scenarios will primarily feature adults with acquired neurogenic dysphagia; however, extension to pediatric caseloads or clients with structurally-related or oncology-related dysphagia will be explored pending audience interest.

 

Learning Outcomes

• Participants will review current evidence regarding the predictive utility of swallowing screening protocols.Participants will review current evidence regarding the sensitivity and specificity of particular signs identified in clinical bedside swallowing assessments for determining the presence/absence of dysphagia and aspiration.
• Participants will review the purpose and design of the videofluoroscopic swallowing assessment, including current evidence regarding best practices in the review and interpretation of videofluoroscopy.
• Participants will review the indications for specific compensatory and rehabilitative interventions, and the evidence regarding their effectiveness.
• Participants will practice treatment planning on the basis of videofluoroscopic swallowing studies, using examples of specific physiological impairments.
• Participants will critically evaluate current evidence behind rehabilitative approaches to oropharyngeal swallowing treatment and apply this to case scenarios.

 

Who Should Attend

The course is intended for practicing Speech-Language Pathologists. Other professionals who wish to register for the course need to support their online registration with a letter of confirmation from the Speech-Language Pathology Department at the facility where they practice. The letter should confirm that they work interprofessionally with SLPs. The letter can be sent to Conference Services at Toronto Rehab by fax: 416-597-6202 or by email: conferences@torontorehab.on.ca.

 

Speaker Biography

Catriona M. Steele, PhD, CCC-SLP, S-LP(c), Reg CASLPO
Affiliations: Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; University of Toronto

Dr. Steele is a scientist and Director of the Swallowing Rehabilitation Research Laboratory at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. She teaches in the Graduate Department of Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Toronto. Prior to completing her Ph.D., Dr. Steele worked as a medical speech-language pathologist for 10 years. She holds board-specialty recognition in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BRS-S).

Dr. Steele is known for her commitment to pursuing theoretically driven research that will underpin clinical interventions with sound empirical evidence. She has received particular recognition for her research on tongue movements and tongue pressure in swallowing and has developed a reputation as an expert on the use of texture modifications as an intervention for dysphagia. Dr. Steele holds research funding and a prestigious New Investigator award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Dr. Steele is known across Canada and internationally as an outspoken advocate of evidence-based practice by speech-language pathologists. She has a particular interest in mentoring and supporting front-line clinicians to develop strong skills in critically evaluating literature and incorporating good scientific evidence into their day-to-day practice. Dr. Steele has been invited to participate on several national and international expert panels regarding standards of practice in the area of swallowing evaluation and treatment and is frequently invited to be a speaker at professional development courses on this topic. She is known for her commitment to “active learning”, and incorporates practical hands-on assignments into her lectures and workshops. Her teaching experience includes face-to-face and web-based University courses and many workshops and invited lectures across North America, Europe, China, Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

Dr. Steele is a past president of the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and past board member of the Dysphagia Research Society. She currently serves as the coordinator of the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association’s Special Interest Division 13 (Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders).

 

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