Gap Education
April 20, 2024, Live, Synchronous, 7-Hour Webinar
Neurological Underpinnings of Communication and Swallowing
This session reviews the neurological systems underlying communication and swallowing, framing the nervous system as a hierarchical, bidirectional network and connecting the location of a lesion to what a clinician should expect, assess, and treat.
Kendrea (Focht) Garand, PhD, CScD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S of the University of Pittsburgh covers the organization of the central and peripheral nervous systems, upper versus lower motor neuron pathways, and the cortical and subcortical networks that support language, speech motor control, and swallowing. Particular attention is given to the brainstem's central pattern generators for swallowing, respiratory-swallow coordination, and the cortical and subcortical regions most often implicated when a lesion produces dysphagia. The session closes with a review of the sensory systems that shape swallowing and airway protection, including the neural pathway behind the cough reflex.
Clinical examples, including lateral medullary stroke and cerebellar tumor resection, illustrate how this neuroanatomical framework applies to differential diagnosis, assessment selection, and treatment planning across acute care, neurodegenerative disease, and other populations.
Learning Objectives:
1. Explain foundational neurological underpinnings of communication and swallowing.
2. List 3 or more brain regions that are crucial for swallowing control and likely cause dysphagia when lesioned.
Sample Course Materials
Target Audience: Intermediate level
CE Credit: 0.1 ASHA CEUs can be awarded to ASHA members. No partial CE credit is provided.
To earn a certificate, and ASHA CEUs if desired, eligible learners must do the following:
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View the entire recorded course
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Obtain 80% on a short post assessment (may be retaken as needed).
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Complete required items in a learner survey.
Available 9/22/26!
Sample Course Materials
Instructor
Dr. Kendrea L. (Focht) Garand, PhD, CScD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
Dr. Kendrea Garand is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her master's degree in speech-language pathology from Purdue University, her clinical doctorate in medical speech-language pathology from the University of Pittsburgh, and her PhD in health and rehabilitation sciences from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in MUSC's Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Garand holds Board Certification in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BCS-S) and currently serves as Chairperson of the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. She is also Editor-in-Chief of Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups.
With over 15 years of clinical experience, she continues to supervise graduate student clinicians within the UPMC Swallowing Disorders Center. Dr. Garand's research focuses on how motor neuron disease, including ALS, aging, and sleep-related breathing disorders impact swallowing function and respiratory-swallow coordination. She has authored or co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed articles and has presented at national and international conferences on ALS-related content. Her research has been supported by the NIH, Veterans Affairs, and the ASHFoundation.
Instructor Disclosures
Kendrea (Focht) Garand, PhD, CScD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
Financial Disclosures:
Gap Education: Royalties for recorded course sales and speaking fee for course delivery
University of Pittsburgh: Salary
Non-financial:
None
Gap Education Course Sponsorship Disclosure
Bracco Diagnostics provided financial support for the original recording from which this course was derived
Course Schedule
0:00 – 3:00: Introduction, Disclosures, Learning Objectives, and Agenda
3:00 – 8:15: Neuroplasticity: Principles and Clinical Relevance
8:15 – 14:25: Nervous System Organization, Levels of Motor Control, and Why
Neuroanatomy Matters
14:25 – 17:00: Upper vs. Lower Motor Neuron Pathways
17:00 – 20:25: Cortical Language Networks
20:25 – 27:30: Cortical and Subcortical Control of Speech Motor Function
27:30 – 35:15: Basal Ganglia and Cerebellar Circuits, Apraxia of Speech, and Dysarthria Classification
35:15 – 40:15: Brainstem Anatomy and the Swallowing Central Pattern Generator
40:15 – 44:40: Respiratory-Swallow Coordination and Cranial Nerves Critical to Swallowing
44:40 – 48:55: Cortical and Subcortical Brain Regions Critical for Swallowing
48:55 – 53:40: Sensory Systems and Airway Clearance (the Cough Reflex)
53:40 – 56:25: Clinical Integration, Key Takeaways, and Closing
8 Minutes: Learner Assessment
Rates and Registration
$25 - Standard Course Rate
Students: Email for 1/2 off
CFY: Email for 20% off