Silent Aspiration: Thresholds, Triggers, and Clinical Truths
Challenge the concept of “silent aspiration” in this dysphagia-focused session. Using a sensory threshold framework, explore how stimulus intensity and bolus volume influence cough and airway protection. Gain practical insight for interpreting VFSS and FEES and improving clinical decision-making in swallowing assessment.
Presented by: Debra Suiter, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, F-ASHA
AUDIENCE: Undergraduate, graduate students, Clinical Fellows, experienced clinicians, clinicians who would like to transition from school-based SLP to medical-based SLP, clinicians who treat chronic dysphagia.
We often label aspiration without cough as “silent,” but what if it isn’t truly silent at all? This webinar challenges the assumption that absent cough equals absent sensation. Instead, we’ll examine silent aspiration through a sensory threshold lens, exploring how stimulus intensity and bolus volume influence airway protection. Participants will reconsider how and when they interpret silence during swallowing assessment and what that means for clinical decision-making.
Learning Objectives:
1) Describe the sensory contribution to laryngeal airway protection.
2) Explain how stimulus intensity affects cough activation.
3) Discuss clinical variables associated with silent aspiration.
4) Integrate sensory-threshold concepts into instrumental swallowing assessment.
This webinar is approximately 60 minutes in length. This is a recording of a live webinar.
This webinar is offered for Professional Development Hours (PDHs), previously Certification Maintenance Hours (CMHs). For more info: https://www.asha.org/certification/factdef/.
Certificate of completion available for download at the completion of the webinar.
This Video will be available for 90 days after purchase.
Presenter:
Debra M. Suiter, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, F-ASHA, is a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Director of the Voice and Swallow Clinic at the University of Kentucky. She is a board-certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders and has extensive clinical and research expertise in dysphagia assessment and treatment. Dr. Suiter is widely published and presents nationally and internationally on instrumental swallowing evaluation and evidence-based dysphagia management. She is also a co-developer of the Yale Swallow Protocol and has received recognition for her contributions to clinical education and research.
