ASHA Learning Pass

This collection of articles presents clinicians with information on an exciting variety of topics, all very currently relevant to caring for patients. Firstly, Ianessa Humbert shares her lived experience as a speech-language pathologist of color, adding to knowledge on diversity and inclusion. Next, Cara Donohue and James L. Coyle, and Christina Kang and David Lott, share service delivery focusing on the diagnoses of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and muscle tension dysphagia, respectively. Samantha Shune and Ashwini Namasivayam provide systematic strategies to better support patients’ informal caregivers. Rinki Varindani Desai and Ashwini Namasivayam-MacDonald describe the practice patterns of speech-language pathologists managing dysphagia in persons with dementia. Lastly, Nancy Swigert and Ashley Wright describe effectiveness and efficiency as the key components of a value-based health-care system.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• describe the role of respiratory interventions in palliative care in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to improve quality of life
• explain effective treatment techniques utilized in the treatment of muscle tension dysphonia
• summarize dysphagia-related caregiver burden and learn strategies to support caregivers
• describe the practice patterns of speech-language pathologists managing dysphagia in persons with dementia
• demonstrate the value of dysphagia services to improve patient outcomes as well as the fiscal well-being of the facilities served

Assessment Type
Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.

Articles in This Course

1. The Safety, Tolerability, and Impact of Respiratory–Swallow Coordination Training and Expiratory Muscle Strength Training on Pulmonary, Cough, and Swallow Function Surrogates in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis by Cara Donohue and James L. Coyle, published in SIG 13, Volume 5, Issue 6
2. Muscle Tension Dysphagia Evaluation and Treatment by Christina H. Kang and David G. Lott, published in SIG 13, Volume 5, Issue 6
3. Dysphagia-Related Caregiver Burden: Moving Beyond the Physiological Impairment by Samantha E. Shune and Ashwini Namasivayam-MacDonald, published in SIG 13, Volume 5, Issue 5, October 23, 2020
4. Practice Patterns of Speech-Language Pathologists Managing Dysphagia in Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Survey in the United States by Rinki Varindani Desai and Ashwini Namasivayam-MacDonald, published in SIG 13, Volume 5, Issue 6
5. Value-Based Healthcare: Adjusting Speech-Language Pathology Practice to Fit the Model by Nancy B. Swigert and Ashley Wright, published in SIG 13, Volume 5, Issue 6