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UPCOMING
DYSPHAGIA DISORDER SURVEY CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP

Cedar Knolls, New Jersey      October 25, 2011
New York, New York            January 2012

Contact us for further information

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The Dysphagia Disorders Survey and The Dysphagia Management Staging Scale are standardized screening tests for feeding and swallowing disorders in children and adults with developmental disabilities. The Dysphagia Disorders Survey (DDS) and The Dysphagia Management Staging Scale (DMSS) 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 dysphagia evaluations. These tools have been in use since 1986 for research and clinical management. They are used currently in the United States, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The DDS is used by clinicians who have completed Certification training 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). These tools are available only through Certification Workshops. In the United States they are published and distributed by Nutritional Management Associates, LLC. In Australia they are published and distributed by The Centre for Disability Studies, Ryde, NSW.

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, including children and adults, with developmental disabilities. It can be administered in as little as 10 minutes.
  • The DDS is appropriate for use for ages, 2-years through adulthood.
  • The DDS is a task analysis tool that 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. They are standardized for adults with developmental disability.
  • The assessments provide a common terminology for interdisciplinary clinical and research collaborations
  • Speech-language pathologists, Occupational therapists, Physical therapists, Dieticians, Nurses, and other licensed professionals who have attended a Certification workshop can administer the DDS. Facilities certified to subscribe for use of the DDS are renewed annually.
  • The DDS has been used in peer reviewed, published research studies involving children and adults (see references below)

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

Dysphagia Disorder Survey Certification workshops: Nutritional Management Associates provides Certification workshops for the use of The Dysphagia Disorders Survey and The Dysphagia Management Staging Scale to facilities for agencies and individual professionals. Use is restricted to providers who have completed Certification training. Workshops are available for both pediatric and adult applications

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
    • Assessment options for feeding and swallowing disorders
    • 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.

Completed Research Studies Using the Dysphagia Disorders Survey

Balandin, S., Hemsley, B., Sheppard, J. J., & Hanley, L. (2009). Understanding Mealtime Changes for Adults with Cerebral Palsy and the Implications for Support Services. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability. 34(3) 1-32

Balandin, S., Hemsley, B., Sheppard, J. J., & Hanley, L. (2008). Dysphagia disorders survey and SWAL-QOL: Mealtime assessment for older adults with cerebral palsy. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, Vol 52, parts 8&9, p. 783.

Balandin, S., Hemsley, B., Sheppard, J. J., & Hanley, L. (2008). Experiences of mealtimes: Perspectives of older adults with physical disability. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, Vol 52, parts 8&9, p. 650.

Calis, E., Veugelers, R., Penning, C., Sheppard, J., Tibboel, D., & Evenhuis, H. (2008). Dysphagia in children with severe generalized cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 50(8), 625-630

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). Dysphagia 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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