| Effective Term: | 2026/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Health and Wellbeing |
| Unit Title: | Swallowing Disabilities Across the Life Span |
| Unit ID: | HEASP3022 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | (HEASP1011 and HEASP1021) |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 061707 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
In this unit, students will develop advanced knowledge and clinical reasoning skills relevant for speech pathology practice with swallowing disorders. Swallowing, feeding and mealtime difficulties are experienced across the lifespan resulting from both developmental and acquired disorders. Swallowing difficulties can impact on general health, nutrition, hydration, quality of life and social engagements. This unit adopts a socio-cultural framework, to explore normal development, as well as the physiology, assessment, diagnosis and management of swallowing problems across the lifespan. There will be a strong focus on interprofessional practice, evidence based practice and client-centred care. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | | |  | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Explain common causes of, and factors influencing, mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties across the lifespan. |
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| K2. | Analyse and compare the different methods of assessing (formal and informal) meal-time, feeding and swallowing difficulties. |
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| K3. | Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the Speech Pathology Australia clinical guidelines related to dysphagia. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Critically reflect on ethical and medico legal implications of clinical decision making in the area of mealtime, feeding, and swallowing, assessment and management |
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| S2. | Reflect how swallowing, feeding and mealtime difficulties across the life span can impact on general health, nutrition, hydration, quality of life and social engagements. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Plan, justify, and evaluate client-centred, collaborative interprofessional assessment and management of mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties consistent with current national health policy and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. |
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| Unit Content: |
Professional Standards for Speech Pathologist in Australia (2020), Speech Pathology Guidelines for Reporting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Curriculum Development and Inclusions (2018), National Quality and Safeguarding Framework (NQSF, 2018), National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (2017-2019) and National Aged Care Quality Standards (2019) have substantially informed the syllabus/content of this unit. Topics may include: Anatomy, physiology and neurology of swallowing Normal swallowing and feeding development across the lifespan Application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) to the assessment and management of mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties across the lifespan The social, psychological, medical, and nutritional impact of mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties Understanding of cultural differences associated with mealtimes, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Common causes of mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties across the lifespan The impact of the ageing on mealtime, feeding, and swallowing skills Developmental mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties (associated with prematurity; developmental disability; cleft palate/lip; respiratory conditions; cognitive and behavioural difficulties etc.) Acquired mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties (arising from acute neurological causes such as stroke and brain injury; progressive neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease or Motor Neurone Disease; structural causes such as surgery following cancer; respiratory conditions, and associated with ageing). Evidence-based assessment principles, skills, and tools Assessment and management of mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties across the lifespan Assessment and management of mealtime, feeding, and swallowing skills, and ethical considerations during end-of-life care Assessment and management of personal factors and environmental influences on mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties Working in Multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary teams to assess and manage swallowing difficulties Ethical and medicolegal issues in the assessment and management of mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties Understanding the role of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | Level | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students will demonstrate high-level skills to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups Students will be required to display (in person and/or online) high-level skills in-person and/or online in: • Effective verbal and non-verbal communication via a range of synchronous and asynchronous methods • Active listening for meaning and influencing • High-level empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating extended conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams | Y - Present | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students will demonstrate the ability to apply leadership skills and behaviours Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating, contributing to, and enabling collegial environments • Showing self-awareness and the ability to self-reflect for personal growth • Inspiring and enabling others • Making informed and evidence-based decisions through consultation with others • Displaying initiative and ability to solve problems | Y - Present | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complex and ambiguous environments, using their imagination to create new ideas Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically on complex problems • Synthesising, evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Proposing alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts through deep inquiry • Proposing creative solutions in problem solving | Y - Present | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students will demonstrate the ability to work proficiently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks Students will be required to display high-level skills in: • Finding, accessing, collating, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and appropriately and securely sharing complex digital information at a high-level • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Using digital tools appropriately to conduct research • Contributing proficiently to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and utilising digital learning opportunities | Y - Present | FEDTASK 5
Sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students will demonstrate the ability to think ethically and sustainably. Students will be required to display skills in: • The responsible conduct of research • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in multiple global economic environmental and societal contexts • Demonstrating commitment to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Generating research solutions which are sustainable,ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable • Extending lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Demonstrate extended actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life. | Y - Present |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | Professional Standards |
| 1. |
K1, K2, K3, S1, S2 |
Presentation on medicolegal, ethical, environmental and personal considerations surrounding a case scenarios in a facilitated peer environment |
Tutorial presentation |
10-20% |
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| 2. |
K1, K2, K3, S2, A1 |
Case based individual written assignment |
Written Essay |
40-60% |
|
| 3. |
K1, K2, K3 |
End of unit exam |
Examination |
30-50% |
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