Get ASHA Clinical Swallowing Exam

During the exam, the SLP will carefully evaluate your teeth, lips, jaws, tongue, cheeks and soft palate. You may need to perform movements like smacking your lips together or sticking out your jaw, and you might be asked to make sounds such as coughing or clearing your throat.

Numerous clinical tools have varying sensitivity and specificity and several dysphagia screenings are available for nurses to administer among stroke patients and validate against the instrumental assessment.

In clinical settings, SLPs typically use one of two types of instrumental evaluation: the videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) or the flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), sometimes also called fiber-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing.

Swallow screening is usually performed by registered nurses. swallowing function that consists of an extensive cranial nerve evaluation and direct examination of swallowing using food and liquids of various textures and consistencies.

The Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids (TOMASS) is a standardized, normed test focused on the oral phase of swallowing.

A swallow test is usually carried out by a speech and language therapist (SLT) and can give a good initial assessment of your swallowing abilities. The SLT will ask you to swallow some water. The time it takes you to drink the water and the number of swallows required will be recorded.

The Yale Swallow Protocol is a validated, reliable, and sensitive DSP that is created for health professionals, such as nurses, to use in patients who experienced a stroke. It is a combination of the 3 oz water test and a brief cognitive assessment.