An interdisciplinary team approach to providing dysphagia treatment in the schools

The diagnosis and treatment of pediatric dysphagia in school systems are still in the infancy stages. They are being addressed in a variety of ways and by a variety of personnel. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in school systems throughout the country are faced with students who exhibit the signs and symptoms of dysphagia; however, there is a lack of organized procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia in the schools. In some cases, SLPs are asked to treat a disorder for which they have no training. In both scenarios there are concerns about the services that students are receiving as well as professional liability. The purpose of this article is to address some of the more pressing issues related to the diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia in the schools and to provide the school-based SLP with some solutions to these problems. The question to be answered is, What is the best way to address dysphagia in the schools?