Inpatient Pediatric Services

Golisano Children’s Hospital is a 132-bed facility that services seriously ill or injured children from the 17-county Finger Lakes Region. The Children’s Hospital includes a 68-bed neonatal intensive care unit.

Our speech-language pathologists have specialty training in working with pediatric patients and provide care as part of the interdisciplinary medical team.

What pediatric services do you provide for inpatients?

• Feeding and swallowing evaluations
• Modified Barium Swallow Study/Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study (MBSS/VFSS) or can be referred to as Pharyngogram within this organization. 
• Communication (Speech and Language) and Cognitive (Cognitive-Linguistic) evaluations for acquired conditions and diagnosis. 

How are Speech Language Pathologists involved in evaluations?

Speech-Language Pathologists evaluate and treat children who have feeding and swallowing difficulties as well as acquired communication and cognitive changes through a wide range of ages (birth to adolescence) and abilities. 

We work closely with families and physicians to better understand feeding and swallowing difficulties or communication or cognitive changes.  This may often involve additional follow up or closely working with other disciplines depending on the needs identified.  These additional services may include collaboration with dieticians, occupational therapists, physical therapists, child life, respiratory therapists and various medical providers such as gastrointestinal specialists, developmental and behavior pediatric specialists, Ear Nose Throat Specialists, as well as Pulmonary Specialists.

We help to identify current skills that support safety and overall development.

Feeding and swallowing concerns

• Delayed or difficulty in feeding and swallowing skills
• Coughing, choking, and or gagging with eating and drinking
• History of aspiration or pneumonia or breathing issues related to feeding and swallowing
• Reliance on tube feeds and unsure how to transition to eating and drinking safely
• Difficulty with feeding and swallowing safety and efficiency
• Difficulty with oral motor, chewing, and swallowing skills
• Failure to advance textures and modalities
• Regurgitation
• Drooling
• Weight loss or not gaining and growing as expected

Speech / Language / Cognitive evaluations & therapy

Our Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) are certified through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and are licensed by NYS.   We have the specialty training and expertise in evaluating and treating swallowing and communication disorders. 

Our Speech-Language Pathologists, have specialty training in the anatomy and physiology of the upper airway, in speech and voice production and in tracheostomies and speaking valves.  We work closely with the medical team to determine if and when a speaking valve may be appropriate to trial for an individual with a tracheostomy (Website link to Tracheostomy and Speaking Valve within our website).

We assess acquired changes in speech including motor speech difficulties such as apraxia, dysarthria (Website link to Apraxia and Dysarthria) as well as acquired language changes (Website link to aphasia and AAC Services within our department) as well as language changes related to a disruption in cognitive/thinking processes or changes to cognitive/thinking skills (Website link to Cognitive Communication and TBI/Concussion). 

For a Modified Barium Swallow Study (Pharyngogram) in Radiology:

1. The Speech Language Pathologist will meet with you to gather information regarding your feeding history, your current concerns, identify current food textures and liquids typically consumed as well as discuss your general feeding and swallowing concerns in your room during a bedside visit.
2. You will then be scheduled in Radiology to take images (pictures) of your child’s swallow patterns through various textures and liquids. 
3. At the end of this evaluation, the Speech Language Pathologist will make recommendations for treatment, offer management options, and provide education on the findings as appropriate.    

Treatment may include:

• Education on current abilities
• Practice of new suggestions and techniques to support swallowing safety and development of skills.
• Suggestions for “next steps” upon discharge from the hospital.

 

Links for Additional Information/URMC Collaboration:

• Pediatric Dysphagia Information via American Speech and Hearing Association
• Pediatric Early Identification of Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders
• Acquired Apraxia of Speech
• American Speech-Language Hearing Association - General Language Description
• Aphasia Fact Sheet
• American Speech-Language Hearing Association - Traumatic Brain Injury