The McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program

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SFS Therapies is proud to announce that we are trained and certified to provide dysphagia rehabilitation using the McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program

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“The McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program (MDTP) is a systematic dysphagia rehabilitation program. It uses swallowing as an exercise, and it works to rehabilitate the synergistic swallowing mechanism. By swallowing program, MDTP is not a single activity or technique that is repeated over and over again. Rather it integrates information directly from the patient assessment - Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBSS) or a Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). MDTP is one of the few if the only approaches to do so in dysphagia rehabilitation and focusing on patient performance, builds upon existing physiologic abilities to improve strength, speed, and coordination of the impaired swallowing mechanism.

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The impaired swallow mechanism is physiologically challenged in therapy during swallowing tasks. As patients progress, more difficult physiologic challenges are introduced. This progression reflects ‘loading’ on the impaired neuromuscular system for swallowing and represents a form of progressive resistance. MDTP is also an intense therapy program. Each swallow is viewed as a unit of exercise and individual sessions contain more swallow attempts than traditional therapies reflecting a higher intensity level of swallowing exercise.

Finally, MDTP is simple for the patient to participate reflecting good adherence with the functional tasks including a home-work component which extends the therapeutic benefit outside of the therapy environment. The progression of swallowing tasks begins based on the individual patient’s physiologic ability level and moves toward functional meal completion.”

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Please check out the article, McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program – 10 years of research experience with an exercise-based dysphagia rehabilitation approach by Michael A Crary, Ph.D., FASHA – November 19, 2015 in the link below: 

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https://dysphagiacafe.com/2015/11/19/mcneill-dysphagia-therapy-program-10-years-of-research-experience-with-an-exercise-based-dysphagia-rehabilitation-approach/