I am concerned that swallowing issues be understood and managed in the school setting, as are the authors of an article in the Jan. 22, 2008, issue of The ASHA Leader, "The ABCs of Dysphagia Management in Schools." I work in the state of Ohio, where we have a State Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. That board has published online its administrative rules governing the practice of speech-language pathology and audiology. The most current code (11-30-07) states: "Speech-Language Pathology means the application of...procedures related to...disorders [that] include...mastication or deglutition following a medical examination by a [licensed] physician." I urge all school-based clinicians to investigate the legal restrictions that concern dysphagia before they evaluate and treat dysphagia.
Carol Flaherty
Kettering, OH
carol.flaherty@ketteringschools.org
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