Treatment Modalities for Dysphagia with Medically Fragile Infants & Children

Long Beach Memorial Medical Center - Van Dyke Theater 

2801 Atlantic Ave.

Long Beach, CA. 90806



Jennifer Raminick, CCC-SLP, BCS-S  completed her master’s degree at California State University, Long Beach and recently earned her Board Certified Specialist certification in Swallowing.  She has been a speech pathologist at CHOC Children’s Hospital since 2013 where she assesses and treats feeding/swallowing disorders in medically fragile infants and children.  Jennifer serves multiple leadership roles in the hospital, including a Clinical Practice Committee member to guide patient care and mentors graduate students and fellow therapists, with an emphasis on MBSS competency.  At CHOC, she revised MBSS procedures to align with evidence based best practice and lead a committee to implement the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative at CHOC Children’s.  She is a national and regional speaker, presenting regularly at the California and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s annual conventions covering topics such as congenital laryngomalacia, and aspiration and the pediatric lung, and feeding on High Flow Nasal Cannula.  Jennifer has also spoken as a pediatric dysphagia specialist to graduate and undergraduate students at CSULB. 

 

Hema Desai, MS-CCC-SLP, BCS-S is an inpatient speech pathologist at CHOC Children’s Hospital, treating children with feeding/swallowing disorders in an acute care setting and on the Multidisciplinary Intensive Feeding Team since 2006. She provides education to hospital staff regarding feeding/swallowing concerns in children and mentors graduate students and new staff.  Hema also provides annual guest lectures regarding pediatric feeding/swallowing at Chapman University and has presented lectures about pediatric feeding/swallowing disorders at state and national conventions. 

Course Description:

With medical care and technology advancement, there are higher survival rates of premature infants and infants born with complex medical conditions leading to increased prevalence in pediatric dysphagia. Additionally, dysphagia can also be acquired later in childhood, as in traumatic brain injuries.  Children with dysphagia are at high risk for nutritional deficits, which can impair their cognitive and physical development.  Working with medically fragile infants and children with dysphagia is challenging, as each child's presentation is individual. It is important to be able to identify and understand the underlying factors of dysphagia and use treatment strategies appropriately to ensure safety for oral feeding and reduce detrimental effects of the swallowing disorder.

This course will discuss etiology of swallow deficits in medically fragile infants and children.  Evidenced-based treatment options will discussed to guide best practice with this population.  Additionally, this course will give realistic options to implement evidence-based treatments to improve dysphagia and sensory-motor function to support efficient swallow function.  

Objectives:

1.) Discuss the etiology of dysphagia associated with common diagnosis in the medically fragile infant and pediatric population

2.) Understand the evidence for treatment strategies for dysphagia in the infant and pediatric population

3.) Identify realistic treatment strategies to manage pediatric dysphagia

Instruction Level:  Intermediate

Half day conference - free with membership    8:30 - 11:45 am - 3 CE's

Continental Breakfast provided