PURPOSE To describe the fluoroscopic findings of swallowing in preterm infants with zero to six months of age, as well as the related diseases and clinical signs and symptoms, and to compare these findings with data obtained from full-term infants. METHODS The retrospective findings of fluoroscopic studies carried out in infants with zero to six months of age and their respective files were a...

BACKGROUND Respiratory swallowing coordination is regarded as one of the several mechanisms by which the airway is protected from aspiration during swallowing. A lack of reciprocity between respiration and swallowing has been indicated as one of the mechanisms that can lead to aspiration and pneumonia. Since chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a pulmonary condition, we have hypothes...

Some behaviors occur in obligatory sequence, such as reaching before grasping an object. Can the earlier behavior serve to prepare the musculature for the later behavior? If it does, what is the underlying neural mechanism of the preparation? To address this question, we examined two feeding behaviors in the marine mollusk Aplysia californica, one of which must precede the second: biting and sw...

PURPOSE This article discusses children's development of mature swallowing and feeding as a process of skill acquisition and considers the applicability of motor learning concepts for advancing these capabilities in school-aged children. METHOD The motor learning literature was reviewed, with concentration on (a) concepts that are relevant for the acquisition of skill and (b) structuring prac...

In addition to voice and articulatory disorders, swallowing disorders have been reported in as many as 95% of individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). This paper addresses the effects of intensive voice treatment (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, LSVT®) on swallowing and voice changes. After LSVT® there was an overall 51% reduction in the number of swallowing motility disorders. Voice changes i...