Speech-Language Pathology Program
About us
The Swallowing Disorders Program diagnoses and treats infants, toddlers and school-aged children with a variety of feeding and swallowing problems, including dysphagia.
The Swallowing Disorders Program evaluations are done at our Waltham site.
Our Staff
The program's interdisciplinary staff includes specialists in:
- Gastroenterology
- Otolaryngology
- Pulmonary medicine
- Radiology
Our Services
- Clinical evaluation of oral motor skills
- Developmental feeding skills
- Videofluoroscopic swallow studies
- Consultation to inpatient medical services
- Management of feeding, nutrition and swallowing function
Conditions We Treat
We treat children with a variety of medically-based feeding and swallowing problems. These problems may be due to medical issues including prematurity, neurological, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, cardiac, structural, genetic, tumors as well as acquired conditions.
Symptoms
Symptoms of feeding and swallowing problems in infants may include:
- coughing
- choking and gagging during eating
- aversion to eating
- g-tube dependency and learning to eat by mouth
- oral aversion
- difficulty coordinating sucking, swallowing and breathing
- congestion during eating
- frequent respiratory infections/pneumonia
- fatigue during eating
- color change during eating or bottling
- discomfort in the throat area during eating or drinking
- food or liquid discharge from the nose during eating
- failure to gain weight
- failure to progress on to an age-appropriate diet.
