ASHA Learning Pass

Diet texture modification—specifically, thickening of liquid consistencies—is often recommended to compensate for dysphagia in pediatric populations due to their physical and cognitive immaturity. This session discusses the evidence in support of this popular management recommendation and explores the many variables that can impact its effectiveness. The speaker presents strategies that SLPs can implement in their clinical practice to mitigate undesirable consequences of texture modification in the pediatric population.

This course is a recorded session from the 2023 ASHA online conference Rethinking Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing.

Related Courses

See more sessions from Rethinking Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• Describe the physiologic impact of thickened liquids on swallowing function in pediatric populations
• Discuss three variables that can influence the thickness of liquid consistencies recommended for managing dysphagia
• Name a strategy clinicians can implement to mitigate undesirable consequences of texture modification in the pediatric population

Presenter Information

Memorie M. Gosa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist and board certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders. She has worked with infants and children with feeding and swallowing difficulties for 20 years. She is an associate professor at The University of Alabama and maintains a small clinical caseload. Dr. Gosa has published peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and presented nationally and internationally on the topic of pediatric dysphagia diagnosis and management.

Financial Disclosures:

• Salary from University of Alabama, Druid City Hospital, and LeBonheur Children's Hospital
• Financial compensation from ASHA for this presentation

Nonfinancial Disclosures:

• Editorial board member of American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
• CAA member

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 and submit the learning assessment by the end date below.

Program History and CE Information

Online conference dates: March 22–April 3, 2023, November 29–December 11, 2023
End date: August 28, 2029

This course is offered for 0.1 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level, Professional area).