SL5200 - Advanced Practice in Dysphagia

This subject is available to students who are enrolled in the Speech Pathology major of the Master of Rehabilitation, Graduate Diploma of Rehabilitation, or Graduate Certificate of Rehabilitation; Graduate Certificate of Rural Generalist Practice or Graduate Diploma of Rural Generalist Practice. Completion of this subject may be used as evidence to support an application for practising membership with Speech Pathology Australia, however students are advised to discuss suitability with Speech Pathology Australia.

This subject will extend students theoretical knowledge concerning the diagnosis and management of neonates, children and adults with complex swallowing disorders. The locus of complexity may lie with the nature of the underlying impairment, overall health and social situation, or the nature of the service delivery context. Emphasis will be on application of evidence-based practice to client assessment and management in community, acute hospital, rehabilitation, or palliative contexts to optimize feeding and swallowing to improve quality of life. The subject will explore how evidence from a range of contexts applies to rural, remote, tropical and Indigenous communities.

Learning Outcomes

• critically appraise the evidence for the diagnosis, management and evaluation of dysphagia in acquired and developmental clients at an advanced level;
• use advanced clinical reasoning skills and application of appraised evidence to formulate speech pathology assessments and interventions for clients with complex dysphagia presentations;
• effectively communicate at an advanced level about complex cases with peers;
• measure and critique the outcomes of interventions for clients with complex presentation of dysphagia, particularly in rural remote, tropical and indigenous contexts at an advanced level.

Subject Assessment

• Oral > Presentation 1 - (25%) - Individual
• Written > Client report 1 - (50%) - Individual
• Participation > Online participation - (25%) - Individual.

Special Assessment Requirements

Passing requirements: complete and submit all assessment items; pass every assessment item.

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.