Feeding and Swallowing Disorders
Various medical conditions can lead to feeding and swallowing disorders. Fortunately, our Batavia speech therapists can help.
As stated by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, “Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are the primary providers for swallowing and feeding services.”
A speech therapist can help determine why your feeding and swallowing disorder has occurred and the treatment plan needed to help you eat and drink more comfortably.
ASHA discusses the three phases in which swallowing occurs, and the difficulties that could present in all three phases of swallowing:
- Oral phase – sucking, chewing, and moving food or liquid into the throat.
- Pharyngeal phase – starting the swallow and squeezing food down the throat. You need to close off your airway to keep food or liquid out. Food going into the airway can cause coughing and choking.
- Esophageal phase – opening and closing the esophagus, or the tube that goes from the mouth to the stomach. The esophagus squeezes food down to the stomach. Food can get stuck in the esophagus. Or, you may throw up a lot if there is a problem with your esophagus.
At Therapy Care, our speech therapists can identify the phase your feeding or swallowing disorder is occurring in, so you can get started on the best treatment plan for your needs. Contact us today to get started!
Feeding and swallowing disorders
Dysphagia may result from (not an exhaustive list):
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Dementia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- ALS (or Lou Gehrig’s disease)
- Developmental disabilities in an adult population (i.e., cerebral palsy)
- Cancer
- Surgery or trauma to the head and neck
- GERD
Consult with a speech therapist today
If you are living with ALS or Parkinson’s disease, or another medical condition and you think you may have also developed a feeding or swallowing disorder, contact Therapy Care Batavia, IL today to consult with one of our Batavia speech therapists. We can help make eating and drinking more comfortable for you.
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- Daisy Magana
We were struggling feeding solids to my breastfed 1 yr old and Erin Jackson gave us so many helpful tips that made a difference right away with our son. I thought Feeding therapy wasn’t going to do much with our picky son but with just one visit, it made a worlds difference. Thank you Erin!
- Grace Brown
Margaret provided speech and language services to both of my daughters for a span of 2 years. She is an absolutely phenomenal provider. Margaret is caring and takes a child-led play based approach, which I appreciate. Margaret also used her expertise to pull in other therapy modalities as appropriate to get us connected with the resources my daughters needed to reach all of their developmental goals.