The Dysphagia Disorders Survey and The Dysphagia Management Staging Scale

Nutritional Management Associates is the sole distributor of The Dysphagia Disorders Survey, a standardized screening test for feeding and swallowing disorders in children and adults with developmental and other lifelong disabilities. The Dysphagia Disorders Survey and The Dysphagia Management Staging Scale were developed by Justine Joan Sheppard, Ph.D., to provide cost-effective and efficient clinical identification of dysphagia and other feeding and swallowing disorders, to track changes in these disorders and to help determine the necessity for clinical, medical, and instrumental evaluations. These tools have been in use since 1986 for research and clinical management. They are currently used in the United States, The Netherlands, Australia and Canada. The DDS is used by individually Certified clinicians and as integral components of the nutritional management programs at Certified residential and day treatment sites and schools. This assessment package also includes the Choking Risk Assessment (CRA) and the Pneumonia Risk Assessment (PRA).

About the Dysphagia Disorders Survey (DDS) and the Dysphagia Management Staging Scale (DMSS)

• The DDS is a quick test for dysphagia, unsafe eating behaviors and delayed development of eating skills that has been standardized on over 800 people with developmental disabilities. It can be administered in as little as 10 minutes.
• The DDS describes the characteristics of the disorder and provides raw and standardized scores that are numerical measures of severity. The scores permit test-re-test comparisons, and comparisons between individuals and between groups of individuals.
• The DMSS is a five-level scale for rating severity of involvement for feeding and swallowing disorder based on management needs and health related outcomes. It is used in conjunction with the DDS.
• The CRA and PRA are short check lists that predict the likelihood that an individual will have a choking episode or pneumonia within a five year period.
• Speech-language pathologists, Occupational therapists, Physical therapists, Dieticians, Nurses, and other licensed professionals who have attended a Certification workshop can administer the DDS and the DMSS. Facilities using the DDS are renewed on an annual basis. The Certification Workshop for The Dysphagia Disorders Survey, and The Dysphagia Management Staging Scale

The Certification Workshop for The Dysphagia Disorders Survey, and The Dysphagia Management Staging Scale

Workshop title: Screening Assessment For Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Contents of the DDS/DMSS workshop: Nutritional Management Associates provides Certification workshops for the use of The Dysphagia Disorders Survey and The Dysphagia Management Staging Scale to facilities, agencies and individual professionals. Use is restricted to Certified providers.

About the Certification workshop for the DDS and DMSS

• The workshop includes discussion, training and practice in:
   
  • Feeding and swallowing disorders in children and adults with disabilities
  • The full range of assessment options for feeding and swallowing disorders
  • The Nutritional Management Program for people with disability and how this screening assessment can improve efficiency and effectiveness of management
  • Use of the CRA and PRA as part of a screening protocol
  • Procedures for administering the DDS and DMSS
  • Administering the DDS and DMSS using videotapes of individuals with disabilities
  • Using the results for developing management plans
     
• Participants are invited to bring videotapes of cases for presentation and practice.
• The registration fee includes admission, The DDS and DMSS manual and test forms, The CRA and PRA forms and User’s Guide, registration as a trained user, and the Certificate, suitable for framing, that documents the participant’s qualification.

Note: Training workshops for agencies and facilities are arranged on request. Training workshops for certifying individual providers are scheduled regularly.

References:
Calis, E., Veugelers, R., Penning, C., Sheppard, J., Tibboel, D., & Evenhuis, H. Dysphagia in children with severe generalized cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities (Manuscript in review Jan 2008).

Sheppard, J. J. (2002). Swallowing and Feeding in Older People with Lifelong
Disability. Advances in Speech Pathology, 4(2), 119-121.

Sheppard, J.J. (1998). Natural History of Dysphagia in Developmental Disability. Dysphagia Research Society Meeting, New Orleans, Oct.

Sheppard, J. J. & Hochman, R. (1989). Clinical Symptoms of Dysphagia in Mentally Retarded Individuals. Paper presented at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention, St. Louis, Nov.

Sheppard, J. Liou, J., Hochman, R., Laroia, S. & Langlois, D. (1988). Nutritional correlates of dysphagia in individuals institutionalized with mental retardation. Dysphagia, 3, 85-89.

Sheppard, J. J. & Hochman, R. (1988b). Screening Large Residential Populations for Dysphagia. Paper presented at the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, 42nd Annual Meeting, Toronto, Oct.

Sheppard, J. J. & Hochman, R. (1988a). Dysphagic Disorders in a Large Residential Setting. Paper presented at the 112th Annual Meeting of the American Association on Mental Retardation, Washington, D.C., May

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