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Assessing and Treating Infant Feeding and Swallowing Disorders in the NICU with a Focus on High-Risk Populations
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Neuroprotective feeding practices in the NICU are critical for optimizing long-term developmental outcomes for all premature and medically complex infants. While many infants discharge from the NICU feeding orally, most are not yet skilled or mature feeders many continue to require support. Infants born extremely pre-term or with certain medical diagnoses are especially at risk for both acute and long term feeding and swallowing problems. Being able to identify these “high risk” infants is critical when working with fragile feeders in the NICU and for developing safe and supportive feeding care plans in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team. This course will discuss best practices for management of infant feeding and swallowing disorders within the NICU including comprehensive assessment, close collaboration with the medical team, and clinical decision making for implementing neuroprotective interventions with an emphasis on family-centered care. Case studies will be presented to enhance critical thinking and application of knowledge.
Alissa Bobek, MS, CCC-SLP
Alissa Bobek, MS, CCC-SLP, CNT is a medical speech-language pathologist with 17 years of experience serving complex patients in the acute care and ICU settings. She earned her BS in speech-language and hearing sciences from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and her MS in speech-language pathology from Purdue University. Alissa started her career working with adult patients and quickly discovered her passion for dysphagia evaluation and treatment in the acute care setting. She later trained to transition to the neonatal ICU and has worked in the NICU since 2011. Alissa is currently a senior speech-language pathologist and certified neonatal therapist (CNT) in the Level IV NICU at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, TX. She is passionate about neuroprotective care, supporting breastfeeding in premature and medically complex infants, empowering parents and caregivers, and mentoring other SLPs.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Alissa Bobek has an employment relationship with St. David's Medical Center. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Alissa Bobek is a member of the National Association of Neonatal Therapists, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is a former member of the Washington Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
