Cause of swallowing difficulty may include:
⦁    Stroke
⦁    Brain Injury
⦁    Parkinson’s Disease and Parkinson’s plus (PD+)
⦁    Motor Neurons Disease (MND)
⦁    Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
⦁    Cerebral Palsy (CP)
⦁    Dementia
⦁    Nerve palsy
⦁    Physiological, structural or surgical changes in the throat
⦁    GORD (Gastro Oesophageal Reflux Disease)
⦁    Problems with throat muscles
⦁    Achalasia
⦁    Increased age
Problems with swallowing can lead to weight loss, dehydration, malnutrition, anxiety, reluctance to eat in public, pneumonia and on occasion, choking. 
What to expect….
Your Speech Pathologist will complete an examination of your swallow whilst in clinic. An assessment will include asking you to eat and drink different types of fluids and food consistencies. They may palpate (using hands to feel the movement of your swallow) your swallow, use cervical auscultation (use of a stethoscope to listen) and some sometimes check your SpO2 (blood oxygen) levels as part of the comprehensive swallow assessment. 
Your Speech Pathologist may recommend a Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) otherwise known as a Video fluoroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS) or a Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) to investigate the nature of your swallowing difficulty. 
Once the dysphagia assessment is complete, your Speech Pathologist will provide you with information on the types of foods to eat and drink, food and drinks to avoid, swallow strategies and sometimes swallow exercises specific to your needs. Every dysphagia plan is personalised and tailored to your needs; No one dysphagia plan is the same. At Adult Speech and Swallow Clinic, we welcome your input and will work with you to formulate realistic and attainable actions and goals.