When Access Changes: Navigating the Gap in Swallow Studies

The recent closure of Patheous Health, headquartered in Overland Park, has created a significant shift in access to instrumental swallow evaluations across our region and beyond. For years, their mobile services helped bring both Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) and Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) studies directly to patients, reducing delays and improving clinical decision-making. Their rapid growth and expansion across multiple states reflected just how essential these services had become. 

With their closure, many facilities, providers, and families are now facing a very real gap. When access to instrumental evaluations is delayed or unavailable, it can impact timely diagnosis, diet recommendations, and overall patient safety. Dysphagia is not something that can be managed by guesswork alone. Clinical bedside assessments are valuable, but they cannot replace the real-time visualization that FEES and MBS provide. Without these tools, there is increased risk for aspiration, unnecessary diet restrictions, and prolonged recovery.

This moment highlights an important truth in healthcare: access matters just as much as expertise. When one large provider steps away, it creates a ripple effect across communities. Facilities that once relied on a single vendor are now needing to quickly identify new partners to ensure continuity of care.  A more localized, relationship-driven model of care can help restore that stability, ensuring patients are not left waiting for critical answers.

At Speech and Swallowing Specialists of Kansas City (SaSSKC), we recognize both the urgency and the responsibility this creates. Our team provides mobile FEES services with a focus on timely access, collaboration with care teams, and immediate clinical feedback. We believe patients deserve answers in real time, not days or weeks later, and that facilities deserve a responsive partner they can trust.

If your facility, your patients, or your loved ones are affected by this change, we encourage you to take the next step:

• Establish a contract to ensure uninterrupted access to instrumental swallow evaluations

• Provide your patients with timely, bedside diagnostics and recommendations

• Avoid delays that can impact safety, nutrition, and quality of life

• Work with a local team invested in your community

You can get started by visiting SaSSKC.com and completing a referral form. Our team will guide you through the process and help you reestablish consistent, high-quality access to swallow evaluations.

Transitions like this can feel uncertain, but they also create an opportunity to build something more responsive and connected. Your patients deserve clarity, safety, and timely care. We are here to help make that happen.

A Fresh Start for Spring: Understanding Dyslexia in Children

When we think about spring, we think of growth. For many kids, learning to read is a huge part of that growth. But for some children, reading doesn’t come easily, no matter how hard they try. This is often when dyslexia comes in.

Dyslexia is a learning difference that impacts how children process written language. It can affect reading, spelling, and writing, but it’s important to know it has nothing to do with intelligence or a lack of desire to learn. Anatomically, there are true differences in the way the brain of a person with dyslexia develops and functions. Many children with dyslexia are incredibly bright, creative, and strong thinkers. Their brains are just wired differently, requiring them to learn in a different way.

The encouraging part? The brain is capable of change. With the right support and intervention, the brain can build new pathways for reading and language. This is called neuroplasticity, and it’s a big reason why early support is so powerful.

What to Look For

Dyslexia is not as obvious as you might think. Some signs include:

• Difficulty sounding out words or blending sounds

• Trouble recognizing common sight words

• Slow or effortful reading

• Avoiding reading or becoming easily frustrated

• Spelling the same word differently each time

You might notice these signs early on, or they may become more clear once reading demands increase in school.

Why Early Support Matters

Children reach a stage in school where instead of learning to read, they begin to read to learn. This shift can become especially frustrating for children with dyslexia, impacting their confidence, and making it harder to keep up with their peers. The good news is – when we catch these challenges early and provide the right support, kids can make meaningful progress and start to feel more confident in their abilities.

Where SLPs Come In

As SaSSKC, we look beyond just reading the words on a page. We focus on the underlying skills that make reading possible:

• Phonological awareness

• Language comprehension

• Vocabulary and word knowledge

Therapy is individualized, functional, and designed to meet your child where they are, while keeping things engaging and supportive.

Simple Ways to Support at Home

• Keep reading time positive and low-pressure

• Read with your child, not just to them (dialogic reading)

• Celebrate effort over accuracy

And most importantly, remind your child that struggling with reading doesn’t define them. With the right support, they can absolutely succeed.

We’re Here to Help!

If you’re noticing signs of reading difficulty or just have questions, you’re not alone. Early support can make a big difference, and our team at SASSKC is equipped and here to help guide you through it!

Reach out to learn more or schedule an evaluation info@sasskc.com

Spring Tip for Families:

Incorporate literacy into everyday activities. Reading books outside, writing chalk words on the driveway, or playing rhyming games during walks can help build foundational skills in a fun way while enjoying the spring weather!

From NICU to Home: Finding Your Rhythm Without the Monitors

Bringing your baby home from the NICU is both joyful and disorienting. In the hospital, you were surrounded by nurses, therapists, and monitors guiding care. At home, that support feels quieter. This shift can feel overwhelming, but it also opens the door to learning to understand your baby in a more natural, connected way. The numbers and schedules helped your baby grow in the NICU. Now, your role expands to reading cues, building trust, and finding a rhythm that fits your family.

One of the biggest changes is moving from constant monitoring to cue-based care. Your baby may not follow the same schedule they had in the NICU, and that is okay. Hunger cues can be subtle at first, especially for babies born early, but they become clearer with time. Look for early signs like stirring, rooting, or bringing hands to mouth rather than waiting for crying, which is a late cue. A loose routine can still provide helpful structure as you adjust.

• Use your NICU schedule as a starting point, but stay flexible

• Watch for early hunger cues such as stirring, rooting, or hand-to-mouth movements

• Pause and observe your baby before offering a feed

• Remember that crying is a late hunger cue

  
  

If your baby came home with a feeding tube or is still building oral skills, you can support the connection between sucking and feeling full. This oral-gut connection is an important step toward feeding development. Even when full oral feeds are not yet possible, small, consistent experiences can help your baby learn.

• Offer a dry pacifier during tube feeds to pair sucking with fullness

• Try a dipped pacifier with guidance to safely introduce taste

• Keep feeding experiences calm and positive

• Follow your baby’s lead and allow progress to be gradual

  
  

It is also common to feel focused on numbers such as ounces, minutes, and daily weights. These were essential in the NICU and still matter, but they can begin to serve as guides rather than strict rules. Your baby’s cues and patterns will tell you just as much over time. If you feel unsure, you are not meant to navigate this alone.

• Let numbers guide you rather than control you

• Look at trends over time instead of a single feeding

• Reach out to feeding specialists through Early Intervention or private providers

• Trust your growing understanding of your baby

  
  

As you care for your baby, remember to care for yourself too. This transition can bring exhaustion and worry, especially without the constant reassurance of NICU staff. Your well-being matters. Small moments of rest and support can make a meaningful difference.

• Take short breaks when you can

• Prioritize sleep and regular meals

• Accept help from family, friends, or professionals

• Reach out if you feel overwhelmed

  
  

This stage is not about doing everything perfectly. It is about learning your baby, adjusting along the way, and building confidence together. What feels uncertain now will become more familiar with time. You are already doing so much right.