Hearing you’ll have to eat pureed food every meal, every day, for the rest of your life, if you are struggling with dysphagia or difficulty swallowing is likely not the news you want to receive.
A group of Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) students from Salus at Drexel University wanted to help soften that message for patients with dysphagia. So, for their 2025 Capstone project, they chose the topic “Leveraging Feedback from Speech-Language Pathologists to Develop a Patient-Focused Resource on Texture-Modified Diets.”
“It’s important to study this because dysphagia can have a number of adverse health risks — malnutrition, dehydration, and increased risk of pulmonary complications related to aspiration,” said Ian Sparks ‘25SLP, a member of the dysphagia group that was one of eight Capstone projects presented by Salus/Drexel SLP students. The presentations were made on March 13, 2025, in the Bennett Lounge of the Hafter Student Community Center on the University’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, campus.
Joining Sparks for this project were classmates Jessica Buckwalter, Carly Johnson, Kathryn Leinenbach, and Francesca Lucchesi, all ‘25SLP. The group aimed to gather information not only about the dysphagia diagnosis — a swallowing disorder — but also practical advice on preparing and purchasing meals that align with texture-modified diet recommendations.
“I was lucky enough to have a hospital rotation last semester and a lot of feedback we received from SLPs confirmed there is a big need for dysphagia resources and education,” said Leinenbach. “Some of the things I found interesting were including modifications for inclusive meals for foods from different cultures.”
Kelly Salmon, SLPD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, CLT-LANA, NDC, associate professor in the Salus/Drexel SLP department, was the faculty advisor for the dysphagia project. She complimented the group on choosing a relevant topic to clinical practices for SLPs.
“What they found was that there aren’t a whole lot of resources available that we can print out and hand to our patients on this particular topic,” said Dr. Salmon. “But the students did a wonderful job of creating a resource that can be used by the SLPs who are out there working now.”
According to Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, chair and director of the Salus/Drexel SLP program, the purpose of the Capstones is twofold — to assess the students’ ability to apply evidence-based research in one of their interest areas in a way that advances the understanding of SLP services for other professionals and members of the community; and for students to deepen their ability to work collaboratively with their peers to advocate for their profession and the clients and families they serve at the Speech-Language Institute (SLI) of Salus/Drexel.
Another Capstone project was titled “Supporting AAC Partners of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Students in the group had previous clinical experiences with families who had difficulties receiving access to high-tech AACs (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices.
“We wanted to incorporate a training to staff members to teach low-tech AAC — picture boards, and core words — instead of having to get a high-tech device that might be inaccessible,” said Amanda Cirone ‘25SLP, who along with classmates Jaylene Fermin, Madelyn Morris, Casey Reilly, and Caroline Shaefer, all ‘25SLP, conducted the research and presented the assignment. Kara Maharay, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, director of Clinical Education at SLI, was the faculty advisor for this group.
This team collaborated with staff from a school in the School District of Philadelphia and discovered that their presentation had a positive overall impact on teaching staff, helping them incorporate more low-tech AAC methods into their classrooms.
Serianni added that this year’s group of students did an exceptional job at meeting the goals set by the SLP department for the Capstone projects.
“By reaching out into our region, people will have better access to care,” he said. “And, the graduate students should feel a sense of fulfillment that they helped improve the quality of life for others while enhancing their professional knowledge and skills.
