Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Speech-Language Pathology

First Advisor

Steven Hecht

Defense Date

1-1-2024

Abstract

The American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) states that pediatric patients with dysphagia should be evaluated and treated for swallowing fatigue. However, there are limited resources and research published pertaining to this topic. Three speech language pathologists deemed to be experts in pediatric feeding and swallowing therapy, practicing in South Florida, participated in semi-structured interviews via Zoom. Thirty speech language pathologists who work with the pediatric population completed an anonymous survey via Survey Monkey. This applied dissertation had 2 aims: (1) to gain insight into the perceptions and current practices related to swallowing fatigue amongst speech language pathologists through use of a focus group and survey, and (2) to learn more about the prevalence of swallowing fatigue amongst patients of practicing speech language pathologists working with this population. The data collected during the semi-structured interviews was then analyzed and used to guide the creation of a questionnaire. The newly developed questionnaire was sent to the first set of participants to gather percent agreement on each item for one iteration of the Delphi method. The questionnaire was then disseminated to the second set of participants to gain further insight into the current best practices and factors influencing presence and severity of swallowing fatigue in pediatrics. Data analysis revealed that clinicians feel that swallowing fatigue is a relevant issue for pediatric patients. Qualitative results generated themes of, “fatigue is an issue for our patients” and “components of fatigue are hard to isolate.” Best practices stated by these clinicians included pacing techniques, consistency and texture modifications, position changes, temperature alterations, and alternating solid bites and liquid wash. Findings supported that factors influencing fatigue include mood, perceived energy expenditure, motivation, lethargy and tiredness, and effort. Respondents replied with agreement that swallowing fatigue is present in their pediatric patients and may vary in presentation and severity. Furthermore, responses from the questionnaire indicate agreement that while resources and information regarding swallowing fatigue are currently scarce, a more unanimous definition for swallowing fatigue would benefit clinical evaluation and treatment in the pediatric population.

Keywords

dysphagia; fatigue; pediatrics; speech language pathology; swallowing

Download
To access this thesis/dissertation you must have a valid nova.edu OR mynsu.nova.edu email address and create an account for NSUWorks.

Free My Thesis

If you are the author of this work and would like to grant permission to make it openly accessible to all, please click the Free My Thesis button.

  Contact Author

Share

COinS