The Dysphagia Placement Workbook

The Dysphagia Placement Workbook has been specifically designed to help UK and Australian students and newly-qualified speech and language therapists develop basic competencies and gain clinical experience in dysphagia. It has been created in close collaboration with clinicians and has been validated by clinicians in a research project.

The workbook:

• provides a clear framework to enable clinical educators to plan for student placements
• contains pre-placement learning activities and activities that can be completed on placement
• contains activities that are designed to help support discussions between clinical educators and students, and to encourage peer learning, reflective practice and application of theory to practice
• contains activities that can be adapted to be used with both paediatric and adult populations
• contains some activities that are designed to be carried out independently without direct supervision

Please also see the accompanying textbook, Developing Clinical Skills in Dysphagia, which has been created for clinical educators to use alongside the student and newly qualified therapist workbook.

Table of Contents

Welcome to students and newly-qualified therapists
Welcome to clinical educators and supervisors
General notes

Pre-Placement Quiz 1
Pre-Placement Quiz 2

Placement Activities
Activity 1: General observation and communication status
Activity 2: Mealtime observation
Activity 3: Information gathering
Activity 4: Oral motor assessment
Activity 5: Oral trial
Activity 6: Clinical documentation: case notes
Activity 7: Management
Activity 8: Videofluoroscopy swallowing study
Activity 9: Fibreoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing
Activity 10: Clinical documentation: report writing
Activity 11: Thickened fluids
Activity 12: Modified diets
Activity 13: Working with others
Activity 14: Non-oral feeding

Dysphagia Placement Checklist