Infants with dysphagia are at increased risk for poor health and nutritional outcomes (Arvedson, 2008) if improperly diagnosed or managed. Communication between multidisciplinary team members is imperative for transition from screening to intervention. An overlap in scope of practice may exist between lactation consultants (LCs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). In order to facilitate multidisciplinary understanding and communication, this study was designed to understand how LCs evaluate oral mechanism function and dysphagia in breastfeeding neonates as well as their understanding of the role of SLPs in the management of dysphagia in neonates through a comparative multi-case, summative qualitative study. Participants described a multifaceted clinical assessment process. The participants’ understanding of the role and knowledge of SLPs in the care of neonates with idiopathic dysphagia was limited. The study identified a clear position for the SLP in the assessment and interpretation of craniofacial/orofacial function and dysphagia in newborns.
","abstract_html":"<p>Infants with dysphagia are at increased risk for poor health and nutritional outcomes (Arvedson, 2008) if improperly diagnosed or managed. Communication between multidisciplinary team members is imperative for transition from screening to intervention. An overlap in scope of practice may exist between lactation consultants (LCs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). In order to facilitate multidisciplinary understanding and communication, this study was designed to understand how LCs evaluate oral mechanism function and dysphagia in breastfeeding neonates as well as their understanding of the role of SLPs in the management of dysphagia in neonates through a comparative multi-case, summative qualitative study. Participants described a multifaceted clinical assessment process. The participants’ understanding of the role and knowledge of SLPs in the care of neonates with idiopathic dysphagia was limited. The study identified a clear position for the SLP in the assessment and interpretation of craniofacial/orofacial function and dysphagia in newborns.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Howard, Elizabeth Louise"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Special Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sarah Ginsberg, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, Chair","Bill Cupples, Ph.D., CCC-SLP","Carrie Dawson, M.S., RN"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-03-11T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2013-03-11T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:57Z","subjects":["breastfeeding","deglutition disorders","lactation","counseling","speech therapy","Special Education and Teaching"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/571","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sarah Ginsberg, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, Chair","Bill Cupples, Ph.D., CCC-SLP","Carrie Dawson, M.S., RN"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Howard, Elizabeth Louise"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-05-07T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Special Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["breastfeeding","deglutition disorders","lactation","counseling","speech therapy","Special Education and Teaching"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/571"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Infants with dysphagia are at increased risk for poor health and nutritional outcomes (Arvedson, 2008) if improperly diagnosed or managed. Communication between multidisciplinary team members is imperative for transition from screening to intervention. An overlap in scope of practice may exist between lactation consultants (LCs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). In order to facilitate multidisciplinary understanding and communication, this study was designed to understand how LCs evaluate oral mechanism function and dysphagia in breastfeeding neonates as well as their understanding of the role of SLPs in the management of dysphagia in neonates through a comparative multi-case, summative qualitative study. Participants described a multifaceted clinical assessment process. The participants’ understanding of the role and knowledge of SLPs in the care of neonates with idiopathic dysphagia was limited. The study identified a clear position for the SLP in the assessment and interpretation of craniofacial/orofacial function and dysphagia in newborns.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Understanding lactation consultants' evaluation of oral mechanism function and dysphagia in nursing neonates"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Sarah Ginsberg, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, Chair","Bill Cupples, Ph.D., CCC-SLP","Carrie Dawson, M.S., RN"],"dc:creator":["Howard, Elizabeth Louise"],"dc:date.available":["2014-05-07T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Infants with dysphagia are at increased risk for poor health and nutritional outcomes (Arvedson, 2008) if improperly diagnosed or managed. Communication between multidisciplinary team members is imperative for transition from screening to intervention. An overlap in scope of practice may exist between lactation consultants (LCs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). In order to facilitate multidisciplinary understanding and communication, this study was designed to understand how LCs evaluate oral mechanism function and dysphagia in breastfeeding neonates as well as their understanding of the role of SLPs in the management of dysphagia in neonates through a comparative multi-case, summative qualitative study. Participants described a multifaceted clinical assessment process. The participants’ understanding of the role and knowledge of SLPs in the care of neonates with idiopathic dysphagia was limited. The study identified a clear position for the SLP in the assessment and interpretation of craniofacial/orofacial function and dysphagia in newborns.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/571"],"dc:subject":["breastfeeding","deglutition disorders","lactation","counseling","speech therapy","Special Education and Teaching"],"dc:title":["Understanding lactation consultants' evaluation of oral mechanism function and dysphagia in nursing neonates"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Special Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:57Z"}