Swallowing Disabilities Across the Life Span

Unit Outline (Higher Education)

   
?   Display Outline Guidelines      


Effective Term: 2025/02
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: No
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 CourseAQF Level(s) of Course
5678910
Introductory                                                
Intermediate                                                
Advanced                                        
Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge:
K1.

Explain common causes of, and factors influencing, mealtime, feeding, and swallowing difficulties across the lifespan.

K2.

Analyse and compare the different methods of assessing (formal and informal) meal-time, feeding and swallowing difficulties.

K3.

Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the Speech Pathology Australia clinical guidelines related to dysphagia.

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

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.

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.

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:
 Learning Outcomes AssessedAssessment TasksAssessment TypeWeighting
1.K1, K2, K3, A1

Paediatric dysphagia case study

Written Essay

20-30%

2.K1, K2, K3, A1

Adult dysphagia case study

Written Essay

20-30%

3.K3, S1, S2

Class discussion on medicolegal, ethical, environmental and personal considerations surrounding a case scenarios in a facilitated peer environment

Tutorial presentation

10-20%

4.K1, K2, K3

End of unit exam

Examination

30-50%

Adopted Reference Style:
APA  ()

Professional Standards / Competencies:
 Standard / Competency