J Korean Dysphagia Soc.  2014 Jul;4(2):50-55.

Clinical Evaluation and Screening Test of Pediatric Dysphagia

• Park EY

Abstract

A comprehensive clinical evaluation of pediatric dysphagia typically consists of a review of the child’s medical, developmental, and feeding history, a physical examination, a pre-feeding evaluation, and a feeding evaluation. It is include the child's oral structure and function, behavioral and sensory responses to the feeding process, self feeding skills, and the caregiver's feeding skills. In addition to the physical evaluation, multiple factors such as culture and level of parental understanding of the child's disorder must be assessed. This holistic approach to evaluation and assessment assists the evaluator in decision making during the treatment planning process and additional test procedures. This article focuses on guidelines for obtaining a history, carrying out a physical examination, observing a typical meal and introduces the evaluation tool.

Keyword

Clinical evaluation; Dysphagia; Feeding; Swallowing