BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT FOR ADULTS WITH OROPHARYNGEAL DYSPHAGIA

Oropharyngeal dysphagia has been treated by various professionals for many years, with increasingly more attention paid to this disorder by speech-language pathologists in the past decade. There has been a gradual change in emphasis in the literature, from early anecdotal accounts to more scientific, controlled studies that have tested the outcomes and effectiveness of certain techniques or programs. This article reviews the literature in the area of behavioral treatment for oropharyngeal dysphagia, with a critical look at the current state of knowledge. General treatment programs and techniques developed to facilitate or compensate for specific swallowing disorders are summarized. (C) 1994 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation