An individual program for overcoming dysphagia used in speech therapy work
Ani R. Manukyan
“Soldier’s Home” Rehabilitation Center, Yerevan, Armenia
ABSTRACT
The article is dedicated to one of the important directions of speech therapy work – overcoming dysphagia. The characteristics and stages of the act of swallowing are briefly presented. The article presents the individual program for overcoming dysphagia (IPOD) developed by us. The IPOD includes a general and speech therapy examination, development of a feeding procedure, counseling and supervision. It is noted that the process of feeding people with dysphagia is primarily the focus of attention of the doctor, speech language pathologist, as well as other members of the multidisciplinary team. The article contains examples of the most commonly used speech therapy exercises in the process of overcoming dysphagia, aimed at strengthening and improving the muscles of the lips, cheeks, tongue, and epiglottis. Speech therapy instructions developed by us for the caregivers (family members, nurses) of persons with dysphagia are presented in order to ensure the effectiveness of the IPOD.
Keywords: speech therapy work, swallowing disorder, individual program for overcoming dysphagia