Our Services - Carolina Pediatric Dysphagia

Carolina Pediatric Dysphagia provides the following services:

Oral Motor Feeding Evaluation

An oral sensori-motor feeding evaluation is an evaluation in which your child’s feeding and swallowing abilities are assessed. After a thorough evaluation of the structure of your child's oral musculature, we will evaluate the function of your child's oral musculature during eating. We will make sure that the oral motor and sensory systems are intact and not interfering with or contributing to your child's feeding and swallowing problems. We also look at your child's overall muscle tone, respiration and phonation, ribcage development and movement, indicators of reflux, allergy or other GI issues, and behaviors that may pertain to feeding and swallowing.

Our evaluation can identify potential problems with your child’s feeding and swallowing abilities. The most critical issues are safety, specifically: obstruction or aspiration

(the entrance of food/liquid into the airway). These dangerous conditions can result in coughing and choking, frequent illnesses including colds and congestion and breathing problems. If these issues are suspected, a modified barium swallow study will be recommended.

Modified Barium Swallow Study

Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBS), the "gold standard" evaluation of swallowing, is a videofluoroscopic (videotaped x-ray) study of oral (mouth), pharyngeal (throat) and upper esophageal anatomy and physiology to allow for more through evaluation of your child's swallowing abilities. This assessment is completed in the radiology department of a local hospital. Your child will swallow a variety of age appropriate foods and liquids coated with barium, a contrast substance that enables the food to show up on x-ray. The modified barium swallow study will provide information about the risks of aspiration (penetration into the airway), obstruction and nasopharyngeal regurgitation (penetration into the nose) and will guide treatment programming specific to your child's specific needs. We tape these studies so that we can show and educate you and other members of your child's medical team about your child’s specific swallowing patterns and difficulties.

CPD is the only freestanding outpatient facility in North Carolina that has the expertise to provide Modified Barium Swallow Studies for their patients.

Oral Motor Feeding Treatment

Feeding/dysphagia therapy goals are identified and established based on our thorough evaluations. All therapy is individualized to meet the needs of each patient and their family.

Our therapy sessions are conducted with each individual’s needs in mind therefore fostering maximum potential. Parents are encouraged to participate in the sessions as appropriate. Home carryover and practice suggestions are offered after each session. We work closely with each infant or child’s family to ensure that their goals are addressed. Parents are encouraged to become part of our team. We value each parent’s feedback and input and develop close partnerships with our parents.

Speech Evaluation

Many of our patients with feeding & swallowing problems also present with speech and language difficulties. CPD provides speech services to these patients.

Speech is the articulation or pronunciation of sounds (words). Receptive language is the ability to listen and understand. Expressive language is the use of speech sounds, words and gestures to communicate.

We complete thorough evaluations of speech and language using careful observation and standardized tests to help identify your child's ability to communicate. We obtain specific information about your child's strength and level of need. Providing speech and language services and dysphagia services in the same facility provides our patients the level of care they have come to expect at CPD. It also enables continuity of care as speech and feeding disorders frequently overlap. If you are concerned about your child's ability to understand language (receptive language) and communicate his wants and needs (expressive language) using speech that is understandable (articulation) we will be able to help.

Our speech language pathologist will ask questions about your child’s health, development, family history, speech and language concerns by parents and caregivers and will also include formal testing of your child’s speech and language skills. The testing will provide information about your child’s ability to: understand and use a variety of age appropriate words, use words correctly in a sentence, use language for different purposes, articulate or pronounce words, demonstrate age appropriate voice quality and fluency. The speech language pathologist will also look at the oral structures (tongue, lips, palate) used for speech and evaluate how well they work to make sure that they are functional for speech and feeding.

Speech Therapy

When the results of a speech and language evaluation identify speech and language difficulties or disorder your child will be referred for speech and language therapy. Your child's therapist will design individualized goals based on your child's areas of need and family concerns. Therapeutic interventions will be designed to help your child reach his maximum potential. Therapy is a process. Our therapists work closely with parents and provide home programs to reinforce target skills and to maximize progress. Families are invited to observe therapy sessions. Early intervention is key to enabling your child to reach his or her potential. Resolving early speech and language issues may also reduce potential behavioral issues.

“The entire staff at Carolina Pediatric Dysphagia has been informative, supportive, understanding, and encouraging since the very beginning. The relaxing atmosphere combined with the caring and compassion of the Speech-Language Pathologists make each visit a personal, enriching, and rewarding experience. The passion they have for their work and the outcome their efforts produce have equipped me and Serenity with lifelong skills that have successfully improved her eating and swallowing; making meals less stressful. Leaving will be bittersweet."

– Natalie G.

"The sessions with CPD have been very beneficial. The therapists do a wonderful job of building relationships with the children. My son has overcome several chewing and swallowing issues. He is learning to try new foods, and is successfully adding them into his diet. Our dinner table is a much happier place!"

– Amy D.