The U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic is now a national provider of an evidence-based evaluation and treatment protocol for swallowing disorders.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, one in 25 adults in the United States experience a swallowing problem each year. Speech-language pathologists are healthcare professionals uniquely qualified to evaluate and manage difficulties swallowing. Graduate students enrolled in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program complete academic and clinical training in swallowing disorders, which prepares them to provide swallowing services across the lifespan and a range of clinical settings.

The Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP) is an evidence-based standardization protocol that prompts speech-language pathologists to identify physiologic impairments in swallowing. Physiologically based standardized assessment and interpretation protocols have been found to reduce subjectivity and encourage practitioners to communicate results in a manner that is accurate, specific, consistent and objective across healthcare settings.

Graduate students enrolled in CDIS 5122L, Feeding and Swallowing Disorders Lab, complete MBSImP training each year as a part of academic and clinical coursework. Recently, Jessica Danley, director of the U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic and instructor of the CDIS 5122L course, completed over 20 additional hours of advanced certification training to establish the U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic as a national provider of the MBSImP protocol. The clinic is now recognized on the MBSImP national provider facility listing, which connects researchers and patients to local MBSImP provider sites like the U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic.

"Knowledge and training of the MBSImP protocol is a highly marketable skill for our graduate students," Danley said. "Completion of the training signifies to employers that our graduate students have successfully completed advanced clinical training in swallowing disorders. These applicants are more likely to arrive to complex medical facilities with a clearer understanding of the underlying components of swallowing disorders. My hope is this will lead to positive patient outcomes, new clinical experiences and increased employment opportunities for students."

About the University of Arkansas Speech and Hearing Clinic: The U of A Speech and Hearing Clinic is a university-affiliated practice that has been offering comprehensive speech, language and audiology services since 1960. Located on campus, the clinic serves as a clinical training and research laboratory for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program. The clinic has faculty with a wide range of experience who provide intervention to individuals with communication disorders while also teaching and supervising graduate and undergraduate students.

Clinic services include evaluation and treatment of:

• Adult voice, swallow and cognitive-communication concerns
• Adult and pediatric literacy and dyslexia concerns
• Pediatric speech sound and language concerns
• Hearing services
• Dialect services
• Auditory-verbal skills

To learn more about clinic services or to schedule an appointment, call the clinic at 479-575-4509 or email Kester Olson at spclinic@uark.edu.