Dysphagia Research Bites is the podcast for speech pathologists who want to stay evidence-based without spending hours in the library. Host Chantelle interviews practising SLPs, researchers, and clinician-researchers about their work, unpacking one research paper at a time and exploring how the findings translate into real clinical practice. It has been designed with the community and home-based SLP in mind, but is relevant wherever you work with adults with dysphagia.
Dysphagia Research Bites
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12 episodes
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Podcast Overview
Dysphagia Research Bites is the podcast for speech pathologists who want to stay evidence-based without spending hours in the library. Host Chantelle interviews practising SLPs, researchers, and clinician-researchers about their work, unpacking one research paper at a time and exploring how the findings translate into real clinical practice. It has been designed with the community and home-based SLP in mind, but is relevant wherever you work with adults with dysphagia.
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2/25/2026
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Recent Episodes
July 30, 2026
Functional Chewing Therapy (FuCT): A Protocol Every Community SLP Needs to Know About with Dr Carol Tran
<p>What if one of the most overlooked aspects of dysphagia management isn't about swallowing at all — it's about chewing? In this episode of Dysphagia Research Bites, Chantelle sits down with Carol, an oral health therapist who works with adults with disability and complex needs, to unpack the Functional Chewing Training (FuCT) protocol.</p><p>Yes, the article they discuss was written for children with cerebral palsy. But don't let that put you off. As Chantelle and Carol discuss in this episode, the principles can translate meaningfully to adults — particularly those with intellectual disability, developmental disability, or acquired neurological conditions. There is little chewing rehabilitation literature for adults, and this article is one of the most structured, clinically applicable frameworks available.</p><p>Yes we know... the acronym is an interesting choice.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>In this episode we cover:</strong></p><ul><li>The four components of the FuCT protocol: postural alignment, food positioning on the molars, sensory stimulation, and food consistency grading</li><li>Why assessing posture and trunk control is the non-negotiable first step before any chewing intervention</li><li>The role of the chew tube and tools like the Gnosh Sidebiter in stimulating the chewing muscles and encouraging lateralisation</li><li>How tongue thrusting relates to chewing dysfunction, and why addressing the thrust may need to come before oral hygiene can even happen</li></ul><ul><li>The link between chewing, saliva, sensory input, and nutrient absorption (including the GLP-1 connection you probably didn't learn in university)</li><li>How reduced mastication may be associated with cognitive decline — and what the research suggests about blood flow and the hippocampus</li><li>Why a dietitian referral should be on your radar for clients with significant chewing dysfunction, even in the absence of obvious weight loss</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>The publication this episode is based on:</strong></p><p>Serel Arslan S, Demir N, Kılınç HE, Karaduman AA. Effect of a new treatment protocol called Functional Chewing Training on chewing function in children with cerebral palsy: a double-blind randomised controlled trial. J Oral Rehabil. 2017;44(1):46–52. doi: 10.1111/joor.12459</p><p><br></p><p>You can find more information on the Gnosh Sidebiter here: https://www.sidebiter.com</p><p><br></p><p>For clinical resources and evidence-based dysphagia education beyond the podcast, head to: <a href="http://www.dysphagiabites.com/">www.dysphagiabites.com</a></p>
July 16, 2026
The Role of Cough Reflex Testing in Detecting Silent Aspiration Risk with Dr Phoebe Macrae
<p>In this episode of Dysphagia Research Bites, Chantelle sits down with Dr Phoebe Macrae from the University of Canterbury to unpack the evidence on cough reflex testing: what it tells us, what it doesn't, and whether clinicians are making a dangerous assumption when Cough Reflex Testing (CRT) results aren't available.</p><p> </p><p>In this episode we cover:</p><p> </p><ul><li>What cough reflex testing is and how it works as a screening tool for silent aspiration risk</li><li>The key finding from Phoebe's research: a failed CRT leads to significantly more restrictive management, but in the absence of any CRT result, clinicians manage patients almost identically to those who passed</li><li>What that pattern reveals about our default assumptions around airway sensation</li><li>How aspiration pneumonia risk factors influenced clinician decision-making in the study</li><li>The sensitivity and specificity of CRT and why it's not a perfect predictor of aspiration</li><li>The complexity of interpreting CRT results across different textures — including patients who silently aspirate on thickened fluids after overtly aspirating on thin</li><li>Why Phoebe frames CRT as one piece of a bigger clinical picture, not a standalone decision-making tool</li><li>What Phoebe would want her own caregivers to know if she ever developed dysphagia</li></ul><p> </p><p>The publication this episode is based on:</p><p>Darrock, K., Wallace, E., Guiu Hernandez, E., Huckabee, M.-L., Mills, M., & Macrae, P. (2024). The influence of cough reflex testing on patient management. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 67, 2987–2996. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-24-00174">https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_JSLHR-24-00174</a></p><p> </p><p>Other articles mentioned:</p><p> </p><p>Miles A, Zeng IS, McLauchlan H, Huckabee ML. Cough reflex testing in Dysphagia following stroke: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Med Res. 2013 Jun;5(3):222-33. doi: 10.4021/jocmr1340w. Epub 2013 Apr 23. PMID: 23671548; PMCID: PMC3651073. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23671548/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23671548/</a></p><p> </p><p>Miles A, Moore S, McFarlane M, Lee F, Allen J, Huckabee ML. Comparison of cough reflex test against instrumental assessment of aspiration. Physiol Behav. 2013 Jun 13;118:25-31. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.05.004. Epub 2013 May 12. PMID: 23672854. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23672854/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23672854/</a></p><p> </p><p>For clinical resources and evidence-based dysphagia education beyond the podcast, head to: <a href="http://www.dysphagiabites.com/">www.dysphagiabites.com</a></p><p><br></p>
July 2, 2026
The 8 Principles of Community-Based Dysphagia Care with Chantelle Hutchinson
<p>If you've ever felt like your dysphagia training just doesn't quite fit when you're sitting at someone's kitchen table, you're not wrong, and this episode is going to explain exactly why. In this solo episode of Dysphagia Research Bites, Chantelle shares the framework at the heart of her clinical practice and the reason she started this podcast and her business: Dysphagia management in the community requires a different approach.</p><p>Chantelle breaks down the acute care principles that most of us were trained on, and makes the case for why applying them in a community setting isn't just a poor fit, it's leaving community SLPs underprepared and their clients underserved. </p><p>If you've ever wondered whether you're doing something wrong in your community caseload, this episode might just reframe everything.</p><p><strong>In this episode we cover:</strong></p><ul><li>Why the acute care model of dysphagia management doesn't translate to community practice — and what to use instead</li><li>The specific populations and practice contexts where this gap is most pronounced</li><li>What the research says about how experienced community SLPs actually approach dysphagia management</li><li>Why quality of life, carer involvement, and shared decision-making have to sit at the centre of community dysphagia care</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Publications mentioned in this episode:</strong></p><p>Howells, S. R., Cornwell, P. L., Ward, E. C., & Kuipers, P. (2019). Dysphagia care for adults in the community setting commands a different approach: perspectives of speech-language therapists. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 54(6), 971–981. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12499">https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12499</a></p><p>Moloney J, Walshe M. Managing and supporting quality-of-life issues in dysphagia: A survey of clinical practice patterns and perspectives in the UK, Ireland and South Africa. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2019 Jan;54(1):41-49. doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.12429. Epub 2018 Oct 26. PMID: 30362200.</p><p><br></p><p>For more clinical resources and evidence-based dysphagia education head to: <a href="http://www.dysphagiabites.com/">www.dysphagiabites.com</a></p>
12 total episodes available
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