August 2024 Pediatric Newsletter

“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” – Brian Herbert

As summer comes to an end and the chaos of a new school year begins, I can’t help but reflect on the wonderful memories made with my family. We live in a very busy world, but nothing hits home harder than the realization that we may only have 18 summers with our kids. I am learning to lean in on that, make memories a priority, and cherish those memories. I hope you all can do the same!

Referrals: In order to schedule an appointment, we require the following from a referring physician:

• A SIGNED order requesting a “Modified Barium Swallow Study” or a “Swallow Function Study.”
• The physicians can write their own or find one on our website under the ‘Pediatrics’ tab.
• Demographic sheet with insurance information.
• Their latest clinical notes to provide a thorough history.
  These documents can be faxed to 888-920-1201 or emailed to info@diagnostex.us.

Research Opportunity: I am so excited to announce a research project involving NMES and Modified Barium Swallow Studies! If you are an NMES provider (VitalStim, AmpCare, Guardian Way, etc.), please reach out to me for more information. We will be analyzing MBSS pre and post NMES treatment.

MBSS COURSE: DiagnosTEX will be hosting a LIVE & IN-PERSON course discussing pediatric AND adult Modified Barium Swallow Studies. This is a unique opportunity to learn about dysphagia for each population. While it may be unconventional to offer a course for both peds & adults when SLPs mostly treat only one population or the other, I can personally say that I have become more proficient in completing pediatric MBSS since cross-training to also complete adult studies. Plus, who doesn’t love watching additional MBSS videos and learning something new? There will also be many opportunities to win gift baskets and gift cards from MAM, Dr. Brown’s, BeetheSLP, GelMix, Pureese, SimplyThick, AmpCare, ARK Therapeutic, and more!

Pureese – have you heard of them? The owner, Brittany, is a trained chef and began this company to help those with dysphagia enjoy the delicacies of food a little bit more. I have had many of her creations and they are all wonderful! She is now creating kid-friendly recipes to debut at the conference. How wonderful to have this option for our pediatric patients that require a puree diet!

CE Events >> Upcoming Events >> Register Today
Date: September 20th
Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Location: Aloft Hotel, Euless
Lunch will be provided
Price: $50 if registered between Aug 1st-31st
$60 if registered between Sept 1st – 13th

In-Services: Do you have a team of therapists that would like to learn more about Modified Barium Swallow Studies? I would love to prepare a presentation for your team, complete with videos, to educate them on deficits and how that applies to the therapy they are implementing each week.

Gelmix Infant Thickener: Infant formulas have difference viscosities, which makes it impossible to offer families a blanket statement regarding the amount of thickener required per oz. For this reason, I always instruct families to bring their specific formula to their child’s MBSS appointment in the event thickener is required. The professionals at HealthierThickening, who created GelMix Infant Thickener, are making this process easier for families. They have begun formulating recipes specific for infant formula. While they don’t have a recipe for every formula on the market just yet, it is a starting point and there will be more to come. To find the recipes they have formulated thus far, go to www.healthierthickening.com and click on the link for ‘GelMix’. Once you are at the home page for GelMix, click on the link for ‘Recipes’. There you will find the specific recipes.

As an added resource for families to train other caregivers, daycare, etc., I recommend giving families the handouts on the IDDSI website specific to their IDDSI level. On that handout is also a specific website that will send the families to a video of how to complete the IDDSI Flow Test. This is also a great resource in the event they switch formulas and need to reconfigure the amount of thickener per oz. with the new formula.

One more note about GelMix – I have a sweet family that has donated their excess, unused tubs of GelMix. If you have a family that is having a difficult time providing it for their child, please reach out to me.

Ampcare: Have you heard about Ampcare and want to become a certified user? This month, they are only offering the Hybrid & Zoom option. Visit swallowtherapy.com for more information!

• Hybrid & Zoom: August 21st – 22nd from 3pm-5pm. Must attend both days.

Contribution: Do you have an interesting topic that you would like to share in a newsletter, whether it be a research article you have read or a patient you have treated? Email me if you are interested!

I, and the rest of the DiagnosTEX staff, look forward to helping you serve your patients and ensure a safe diet for ALL children.