Updates

Catherine Shaker’s Walnut Creek CA Seminars…A Memorable Moment! for All

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Just returned from teaching in Walnut Creek, California for seven days! What a beautiful part of the West Coast. Over 160 engaged and passionate rehab professionals (SLPs, OTs and PT’s, and wonderful NICU nurses) joined me for this practice-changing event.

  • a conference center full of clinical wisdom and intellectual curiosity
  • deep dives about the latest research
  • critical thinking about our common clinical and professional challenges
  • actively problem-solving complex clinical presentations
  • and a sense of renewal … new lasting friendships ignited….

Here I am with some of the dedicated Neonatal Therapists and Nurses on the last day, celebrating each other, being lifelong learners, and the common thread…our passion for feeding and swallowing….and for the children and families who trust their care to us! 

Join me in Plano, Texas (September) or Houston, Texas (October). I promise you a learning experience that you will always remember!

Click here for Catherine Shaker Seminars 2025 Brochure

Click here for Site/Location Info

 

 

Catherine Shaker Seminars: Take Your Practice to the Next Level!

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Join Catherine Shaker, a published master clinician with more than 45 years’ experience with complex patients across the continuum of pediatric dysphagia (NICU, acute care pediatrics, Home Health, Early Intervention, Outpatient, Schools)………for an exceptional learning experience that will change your practice…

*  Advance your clinical reasoning in neonatal/pediatric swallowing and feeding 

*  Integrate the latest advances and  evidence-based diagnosis and treatment

 * Explore up-to-date research on critical system co-morbidities (respiratory, GI, cardiac, neuro, airway, oral-motor sensory-motor)

*  Problem-solve complex patients from neonates through school-aged children,  including yours and Catherine’s

* Apply differential diagnosis in discussions with the PCP

*  Feed your intellectual curiosity 

* Engage in high level conversations about current hot-topic issues and what to do

* Discuss ways to navigate challenging patient-care situations and conversations with our medical colleagues

……Leave refreshed and with new strategies to implement day one………….

    Click here for Catherine Shaker Seminars 2025 Brochure

Click here for Site/Location Info

Learn Along With Catherine Shaker in 2025: Join Colleagues from across the Globe!

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Imagine my excitement when an SLP from Zurich Switzerland registered for four of my pediatric dysphagia courses! I am humbled that she would travel over 5000 miles to learn along with me here in the US.

I promise her……and you…….an exceptional learning opportunity in Lexington, Long Beach, Columbus, Plano, Houston and Walnut Creek CA ~~~~

  • Advance your clinical reasoning in neonatal/pediatric swallowing and feeding

  • Integrate the latest advances and research in evidence-based diagnosis and treatment

  • Apply differential diagnosis in discussions with the PCP

  • Problem-solve complex patients from neonates to school-aged children

  • Network with colleagues from across the US and the globe who share your passion and daily challenges face to face

  • Ignite your passion for continued learning, research and patient advocacy

Click here for Catherine Shaker Seminars 2025 Brochure

Click here for Site/Location Info

 

 

 

Catherine’s Research Corner: Medical and Sociodemographic Characteristics Related to Feeding Therapy Referral and Service Provision for Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

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Nguyen, T. T., Pineda, R., Reynolds, S., Rogers, E. E., & Kane, A. E. (2024). Medical and sociodemographic characteristics related to feeding therapy referral and service provision for preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. Journal of Perinatology, 1-8.
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Thank you to Dr. Bobbi Pineda and her team at UCSF-Benioff Children’s for this retrospective study that adds to our evidence base about the nature of feeding therapy referrals in a Level IV NICU. Whether you provide services for infants in an NICU or follow them post-discharge, this paper can inform your practice.
Abstract

Objective

To determine the scope of feeding therapy for preterm infants in the NICU and medical and sociodemographic factors related to feeding therapy referral and service provision.

Study design

Retrospective study of infants born <37 weeks gestation in a level IV NICU between January 2017 and December 2019.

Result

Among 547 infants, 27% of infants received a feeding therapy referral, and 74% of those referrals were problem-based referrals. Feeding therapy referrals were more likely among infants with lower gestational ages and birthweights (both p < 0.001). In addition, infants with greater medical complexity, who required oxygen at 36 weeks, who had a history of mechanical ventilation, and who had a higher postmenstrual age at discharge were more likely to be referred to feeding therapy (all p < 0.001).

Conclusion

While medical factors relate to feeding therapy referrals, there are other complex person and system factors that determine feeding therapy referral and service provision.

Quote: To our knowledge, this is the fist study that describes patterns of feeding therapy referral and service provision in a level IV NICU. The results from this study contribute to our understanding of how referrals and feeding therapy uptake occur in the NICU based on infant characteristics. Understanding who gets feeding therapy and how feeding therapy is utilized is the first step towards improving service delivery and subsequently, feeding outcomes. The results highlight the potential for feeding therapists to be more effectively integrated into the NICU team to address the unique developmental and feeding needs of preterm infants, thereby mitigating the neurodevelopmental sequelae of prematurity.

–Available  Open Source via Google Scholar–

Shaker Seminars in Raleigh: Sharing a Common Passion and the Latest Evidence

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I just returned from a  wonderful week of teaching in Raleigh at Wake Med.

Here I am with Juliet, Lesli and Lindsay, who are part of the Wake Med SLP team~

Pediatric and neonatal therapists from across the US joined me to network, take deep dives into the evidence, reconsider and reframe fundamentals, share clinical experiences and key learnings, and problem-solve both hot topics and complex patients. We all left feeling renewed and knowing that we are all in this together.

It is such a gift to have the opportunity of in-person engagement that generates new friendships and colleagues that will last a lifetime. I am so looking forward to heading to NJ in September.

AAP 2023 Neonatal Care Standards: Recognizing the Value of Rehab

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NICU Nurse Decal by AdriansVinyl on Etsy

The American Academy of Pediatrics has just issued new neonatal care standards that now recognize the expertise of SLPs for supporting feeding, swallowing and neurodevelopment, as part of an interdisciplinary NICU team alongside OT and PT. Minimum standards for Level II, III, and IV are specified, with a goal to “improve neonatal outcomes by ensuring that every infant receives care in a facility with the personnel and resources appropriate for the newborn’s needs and condition.”

Both Level III and Level IV NICU Requirements support consistent presence of SLPs in the NICU and ensure that NICU patients and their families receive the services they need to thrive in the NICU and after discharge. This includes onsite access to an SLP with neonatal expertise, preferably certified in neonatal therapy, who is skilled in the evaluation and management of neonatal feeding and swallowing concerns.

How the NICU rehab “workload” is shared depends on each NICU team’s interprofessional practice, and the unique expertise of rehab team members. That working relationship, no matter what way it is designed in each particular NICU, is the key to meeting the needs of the infants, their families and staff. Together, the rehab team addresses six core practice domains (environment, family and psychosocial support, sensory system, neurobehavioral system, neuromotor and musculoskeletal systems, and oral feeding and swallowing) in order to provide appropriate care for the neonatal population.

Stark, A. R., Pursley, D. M., Papile, L. A., Eichenwald, E. C., Hankins, C. T., Buck, R. K., … & Faster, N. E. (2023). Standards for Levels of Neonatal Care: II, III, and IV. Pediatrics, 151(6), e2023061957. See attached via open access on Google Scholar

 

 

Lifelong Learners Join Catherine in Houston

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My final seminars for 2022 held at Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston brought together SLPs and OTs from across the US and Canada, including Stephanie, pictured with me above. From new graduates to seasoned therapists, we shared complex patients, and problem-solved the “bigger picture” as our framework for interventions. Such a great opportunity to learn along with each other, and to have the time to grow our critical thinking skills that underpin swallowing and feeding practice, from infants through adolescents. Our conversations and discussions helped each of us realize that the challenges we each face are not unique, and we are all in this together. I can’t wait to continue the conversation in 2023!

State-of-the-Art NICU Practice: Catherine Shaker and Suzanne Thoyre

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Just returned from Houston after presenting with my colleague, Dr. Suzanne Thoyre, a gifted and remarkable researcher and neonatal nurse. The attendees came from across the US to share our common passion for infant-guided co-regulated feeding in the NICU and after discharge.

Our Early Feeding Skills Assessment Tool was the framework for advancing cue-based feeding, problem-solving challenges in the NICU and beyond, getting everyone “on the same page” through a common language, and supporting parents in building a relationship with their infant through feeding. We all left renewed and empowered to be the change … and with a solid path forward.

Catherine Shaker Seminars: “Formula One” Style in Austin!

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     The flagman waves the chequered flag as Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen crosses the finish of the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix in...

Formula One, part of the US Grand Prix, came to Austin in October and so did I!

The Feeding and Swallowing Team at Dell Children’s were amazing hosts! Speech-Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists joined us from across the US and Canada to learn interactively along with each other, focusing on a wide variety of practice settings. In the Cue Based seminar, Dr Thoyre and I guided the group in higher level conversations about complex feeding challenges in the NICU and after discharge, watching and scoring videos of neonates feeding and problem-solving next steps. In the Pediatric Swallow Studies seminar, we discussed unique components of the swallow pathway across the pediatric age span, and then peeling apart the pathophysiology and its implications.  In the Advanced Dysphagia seminar, we looked at critical thinking for decision-making, problem-solving and interventions for our neonatal through school aged patients.  It was also a great opportunity to share ways of navigating the practice challenges that each of us faces on a daily basis. It reminded us that we are not alone. One attendee commented: “I feel rejuvenated and validated in my practice, and our conversations reinforced my values as a clinician. ” We all walked away feeling renewed.

Practicing at the Top of Your Profession in Feeding/Swallowing

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An SLP asked recently, “What resources, articles, courses, etc. did you find helpful when you were first learning infant feeding? I’m looking for something to give me what I really need.”

“My seminars” I told her, “are designed to do just that. When I created them, and as I update them, I always think ‘What do I wish I had known, both research and clinical information, to practice in peds dysphagia when I started out? What is essential to work toward practicing at the top of our professions?’  My NICU and Pediatric as well as Advanced seminars, my Peds/ Neonatal Video Swallow Studies and Cue Based seminars are filled with everything I want to pass along. As I learn from colleagues and attendees at my courses, I weave that in as well. Sometimes I almost run out of time!

I will always offer you a welcoming environment that fosters interaction and learning along with each other.