|
In this episode, Michelle is joined by Melissa Blandford, MS, RD, LDN, Development Manager for Real Food Blends for the East Coast. Melissa has over 20 years of experience working with enteral pediatric patients in the home setting, as well as with DME companies. She assists with billing, insurance, and troubleshooting for the use and approval of enteral feedings in the home setting. Melissa is here for an hour to discuss all things EBP for Blenderized Tube Feedings (BTF). Have you worked with a little one with a tubie who has struggled with constipation, retching, GERD management issues? How about the little ones that also struggle with the sugar crashes between tube feedings…because their commercial tube feeds are primarily a “-ose” as in “fructose” or “sucrose”? Well then join Michelle and Melissa for an hour of sugar free delight while they fill your cup with evidence behind the need for putting real food in a tube.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S
Michelle Dawson, MS, CCC-SLP, CLC, BCS-S, serves as the Director of Clinical Education and Assistant Professor with James Madison University. Additionally, she is the acclaimed host of “First Bite: Fed, Fun, Functional” a weekly Speech Therapy Podcast that addresses “all thangs” Pediatric Speech Therapy, and is presented by SpeechTherapyPD.com. Michelle authored, "Chasing the Swallow: Truth, Science, and Hope for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders". She is an accomplished lecturer; traveling across the nation delivering courses on best practices for the evaluation and treatment of the medically complex infant, toddlers, and children with respect to their pediatric oropharyngeal dysphagia, pediatric feeding disorder, as well as language acquisition within the framework of Early Intervention. She has served as the Treasurer for the Council of State Association Presidents (CSAP), is a Past President of the South Carolina Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (SCSHA), a graduate of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Leadership Development Program (ASHA LDP), a recipient of the Pediatric Feeding Disorder Awareness Champion from Feeding Matters, a recipient of the Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Outstanding Clinical Achievement from the SCSHA, a recipient of the State Clinical Achievement Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Foundation, recognized as an ASHA Innovator in 2023, and ten-time recipient of ASHA’s ACE Award for continuing education.
MS, RD, LDN
Melissa Blandford has over 20 years of experience working with enteral patients in the home setting as well as children with complex medical conditions. She worked with DME companies to assist with billing, insurance, and trouble shooting with enteral feedings in the home setting. She has worked with many families to educate on how to use blenderized enteral nutrition for tube feeding patients in order to provide a natural, whole food diet for this population. Melissa is currently the business development manager for Real Food Blends covering the east coast. She is active with reviewing the latest research on blenderized enteral nutrition and creating continuing education programs for various healthcare specialties.
ASHA CE Provider approval and use of the Brand Block does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products or clinical procedures.
| Timeline |
|---|
| 10 min: Introductions and Backgrounds |
| 15 min: Discuss benefits to GI tract of using blenderized tube feeds. |
| 15 min: Discuss dietary guidelines for pediatrics and the role of sugar. |
| 15 min: Discuss benefits of blenderized tube feeds for transitioning to oral feeds. |
| 5 min: Questions and Answers |
| Financial | Michelle authored, "Chasing the Swallow: Truth, Science, and Hope for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders" from which she receives royalties from the sale of it. She is the host of "First Bite: A Speech Therapy Podcast" for which she receives compensation from SpeechTherapyPD.com. She also receives compensation for numerous presentations from SpeechTherapyPD.com. She receives an annual salary from James Madison University. She also receives profits from the sales of "First Bite Boutique". |
| Nonfinancial | Michelle Dawson is a volunteer with ASHA as the Topic Chair for Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders for ASHA 2024 Convention, additionally she is a volunteer with Feeding Matters, Co-Chair of the Special Interest Group for Swallowing and Pediatric Feeding Disorders for the Speech-Language-Hearing Association of Virginia (SHAV), a Board of Trustee Member with the Communication Disorder Foundation of Virginia (CDF), a former Treasurer with the Council of State Association Presidents (CSAP), a Past President with South Carolina Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (SCSHA). She is a member of ASHA, ASHA SIG 10 and 13, SCSHA, SHAV, the Dysphagia Research Society (DRS), the National Black Association for Speech, Language, and Hearing (NBASLH), and the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders (NFOSD). |
| Financial | Melissa Blandford received compensation for this presentation from SpeechTherapyPD.com. |
| Nonfinancial | No relevant non-financial relationships exist. |