Prologue: Managing dysphagia in the schools.

PURPOSE

This prologue introduces the clinical forum, "Managing Dysphagia in the Schools," and informs the reader of the scope of the included articles.

METHOD

The contributing authors are introduced and a brief summary is provided for each of the 10 articles that make up the forum.

CONCLUSION

The articles address a broad range of issues, with specific reference to children with dysphagia in school settings. There are comprehensive reviews of legislation, ethical issues, cultural issues, motor learning, medically fragile conditions, severe neuromuscular impairments, and autism spectrum disorder. In addition, there are systematic observations and research that address a model public school dysphagia program, school-based speech-language pathologists' perceptions of competency, family perceptions of school programs, and a program for implementing transition from tube to oral feeding.