Tots and Tubes: The No Fear Approach to Tube Feeding (Pediatric Focus)

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

Describe/discuss the types of feeding tubes available on the market and their purpose
Identify the various feeding methods utilized with tubes
Discuss tube and site care, equipment cares and medical complications that can arise or that may be related to tube feeds
Discuss the psychology of tube feeds and the impact this plays on the family and mealtime dynamics
Discuss first foods: breast milk, infant formula, animal’s milk
Discuss positioning during tube feeding
Discuss various possibilities on ways to decrease tube feeds while increasing oral feeds
Define the role of the gut in relationship to successful oral feeding/comfort
Discuss signs and symptoms of discomfort/distress during feed by an infant/child
Outline an “optimal team” for when a child is tube fed
Identify the impact of oral development, social development, and nurturing a child with a tube, with a list of strategies to consider
List factors regarding traveling with tubes
Discuss feeding across multiple environments, including the school setting

Course Instructor(s)

Jodie Dacy

M.S. CCC-SLP, NDC

Jodie graduated from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL with a Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders. She has been a practicing speech language pathologist since 1995 with extensive experience in the private sector, school settings and clinical experience in hospital settings which include long term care and outpatient rehab. Jodie became a VitalStim® Provider in 2005. Since then she has utilized this modality in the treatment of dysphagia with both her pediatric and adult patients. Jodie is also a licensed NOMAS® practitioner and certified in NDC (NMES for Dysphagia), MDTP (McNeil Dysphagia Therapy Program) and Myofascial Release. She has presented locally and nationally on various topics such as Best Practices, The Benefits of Oral Motor/Feeding Therapy on Articulation/Speech Clarity amongst others. Currently, Jodie serves the Speech Language Pathology profession as a therapist at Val Verde Regional Hospital in TX and as a certified instructor of the VitalStim® Therapy and DINES Specialty Certificate Program for CIAO Seminars.

Financial Disclosure: Jodie receives honoraria from CIAO Seminars for the presentation of this course. She also receives royalties for the purchase of her recorded course(s)
Non-Financial Disclosure: Jodie uses VitalStim Therapy in her practice.

Course Agenda

Day 1

08:00 - 10:00

History, tube basics. feed methods, tips and techniques, The Nissen, equipment care

10:00 - 10:15

Break

10:15 - 12:00

Heart and mind connection, water, the gut and health of the gut, first foods versus infant formulas, versus animal milks, blended diets, special diets

12:00 - 12:30

Lunch

12:30 - 02:30

Treatment considerations, impact in OM treatment and feeding, education to family, establish mealtime relationships, mouth/gut connection and comfort,

02:30 - 02:45

Break

02:45 - 04:30

Treatment across settings, home environment, eating out at restaurants, school considerations, travel considerations/vacations, educational handouts

04:30 - 05:00

Q&A

Contact hours pre-approved for:

8 Hours
CIAO is an ASHA Approved Provider #AAWA (0.8 ASHA CEUs) bubble sheet submission required
CIAO is an AOTA Approved Provider (0.8 AOTA CEUs)
This course meets PDU requirements for NBCOT (8 PDUs)
9.5 Hrs. OT/COTAs in FL (CE Broker (#20-780536)

The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

This course is offered for 0.8 ASHA CEUs (Introductory Level, Professional Area)

CIAO is recognized on the NBCOT Provider Registry (meets PDU requirements for NBCOT)

CIAO Automatically reports to CE Broker for Florida Occupational and Physical Therapists and Assistants. Florida SLPs can either use the ASHA CE Participant Form (Bubble Sheet) or self-submit through CE Broker.