Dysphagia & Swallowing.
Dysphagia is the medical term for trouble swallowing. It can involve the mouth, throat, esophagus, and the opening to the stomach, and it can affect eating, drinking, safety, health, and quality of life.
Swallowing safety
Dysphagia can cause food or fluid to enter the airway, which may lead to coughing, choking, respiratory complications, or chest infections that can worsen other medical conditions.
Medical coordination
Swallowing concerns should be discussed with your physician. Our speech-language pathologists provide dysphagia assessment and treatment in collaboration with clients, families, and the broader care team.
Dysphagia often follows neurological change.
Dysphagia most commonly occurs in adults after an adverse medical event or as a result of damage to the central nervous system or cranial nerves. It can also occur in children and may be associated with underlying medical conditions.
If you are concerned that your child has swallowing difficulties, contact your family doctor and email our clinic directly.
Dysphagia may occur with
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Dementia
- Parkinson's disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease
- Muscular dystrophy
- Adult developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy
- Post-polio syndrome
- Myasthenia gravis
Swallowing concerns can show up in meals.
Signs can appear during eating or drinking, after meals, or through changes in health, hydration, respiratory status, or food choices. The pattern matters, so assessment looks at the whole picture.
- Coughing during or shortly after eating or drinking.
- Choking, throat clearing, or food going down the wrong way.
- Wet or gurgly voice during or after meals.
- Food, liquid, or saliva leaking from the mouth.
- Difficulty keeping lips closed while eating or drinking.
- Food or liquid coming through the nose.
- A feeling that food is sticking in the throat.
- Pain, fullness, or extra effort when swallowing.
- Difficulty coordinating breathing and swallowing.
- Repeated chest infections, aspiration pneumonia, fever, or respiratory concerns.
- Avoiding certain foods or drinks.
- Weight loss or dehydration from not eating or drinking enough.
Cause and symptom lists are informed by ASHA adult dysphagia guidance.
Assessment and treatment
Our clinic offers comprehensive dysphagia assessment and treatment services to help clients swallow as safely and effectively as possible.
Care may include
- Comprehensive swallowing assessment.
- Evidence-based treatment planning.
- Strategies to support safer eating and drinking.
- Family and caregiver education.
- Meaningful goals tied to quality of life.
- Collaboration with physicians and the broader care team.
We work closely with clients and families to develop treatment goals that are meaningful, achievable, and connected to quality of life.
Better communication starts here.
Adult in-person services are available across the GTA, York Region, and Simcoe County. Virtual care is available across Ontario.