Supporting feeding and swallowing in schools requires more than identifying what a student needs.

Full Episode Title: From Recommendations to Reality: Feeding and Swallowing Support

Guest: Elisa Thurman, MS, CCC-SLP

Earn 0.10 ASHA CEUs for this episode with Speech Therapy PD

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Carolyn and Elisa explore common challenges that arise when feeding and swallowing recommendations are carried over into the school setting, including building shared understanding among families, SLPs, teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school staff. They discuss the roles of key team members, strategies for communicating recommendations clearly, and ways to support consistency across people and environments. The episode also addresses when collaboration with medical providers may be needed and how school teams can coordinate care while keeping the student’s needs at the center. SLPs will come away with a clearer understanding of how to move feeding and swallowing recommendations from paper into everyday practice at school.

About the Guest: Elisa Thurman, MS, CCC-SLP, is a co-founder of The Feeding Link and a member of the Feeding and Swallowing Team at at the Multnomah Education Service District (MESD). Specializing in pediatric feeding disorders, she has extensive experience managing complex feeding and swallowing profiles in the school setting. Today, Elisa focuses on clinical mentorship, empowering fellow practitioners through advanced coaching and knowledge exchange.

Show Notes:

Carolyn Dolby Article

The Feeding Link Website