Features & Capabilities

Excellent visual tool to aid professionals in educating patients and families about swallowing disorders. This app features custom-designed animations derived from MBSImP™ research on swallowing physiology and impairment. The animations accurately depict normal swallow physiology and provide clear examples of varying physiologic impairments of the swallow. Controls allow for zoom, slow motion, pause, and frame-by-frame scroll. Includes an overview of normal swallow function, and links to other educational resources.

Animations are of adult physiology and include:

• Normal Swallow, Lateral View • Normal Swallow, A/P View • Example of Penetration with Aspiration • Impairment of Anterior Hyoid Excursion • Impairment of Bolus Hold • Impairment of Bolus Transport • Impairment of Epiglottic Movement • Impairment of Esophageal Clearance • Impairment of Initiation of Pharyngeal Swallow • Impairment of Laryngeal Elevation • Impairment of Laryngeal Vestibular Closure • Impairment of Lip Closure • Impairment of Mastication • Impairment of PES Opening • Impairment of Pharyngeal Contraction • Impairment of Pharyngeal Stripping Wave • Impairment of Soft Palate Elevation • Impairment of Tongue Base Retraction

User Notes:

• Animations depict adult physiology, including normal swallow.

• Animations do not include narration. Visual tool only.

• The animations included in this app accurately represent the anatomy and physiology of normal and impaired swallowing function. They were developed in conjunction with the evidence-based "Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile," or MBSImP.

• Rarely does one physiologic swallow impairment exist alone. This app highlights primary impairments, but co-existing impairments typically occur and the examples shown here are no exception.

• Available for iPhone and iPad.

User Growth & Download Statistics

App
By:
Northern Speech Services, Inc
Rating:
3.70
(15)
Version:
2.3 Last updated: 2021-10-09
Version code:
844267672
Creation date:
2012-02-10
Compatible devices:
Size:
282.05MB
Price:
9.99
URLs:
Website ,Privacy policy
Full description:
See detailed description
Source:
Apple Apps Store
Data ingested on:
2026-06-06
Compare stats and ranking:

Contact the developer

Chrome-Stats does not own this Apple app. Please use these information below to contact the Apple app developer.
Developed by:
Northern Speech Services, Inc
Apple Apps Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dysphagia/id494326380
Website:
http://www.northernspeech.com/applications/swallowphysiology.php

User Reviews

Users praise Dysphagia for its clear, high-quality swallow animations, precise pause and slow-motion control, and broad educational value for patients, families, and clinicians, including effective demonstration of normal vs. disordered swallowing in VFSS contexts. The main drawbacks are price/value concerns, a relatively small video library, and a call for labeled anatomy and phase descriptions to enhance learning.
Pros
  • Clear, high-quality swallow animations and visuals that help users understand anatomy and swallow physiology
  • Speed control and pausing/stepping through videos, enabling detailed observation
  • Strong educational tool for a wide audience (patients, families, nurses, CNAs, students) and effective in in-services
  • Effective for illustrating normal vs. disordered swallow and for VFSS/MBSImP education
  • Useful across pediatric and adult dysphagia education; widely used in practice
Cons
  • Perceived as overpriced; concerns that the price does not reflect the content
  • Limited content; small video library with few examples not covering all patient variations
  • Lack of labeling/annotations for anatomy and swallow phases; desire for integrated labels and descriptions
Recent reviews
I use this app several times a week to provide patient and caregiver education after MBS studies. I find it especially helpful to have them watch the normal lateral view video and share their initial observations, followed by the example with aspiration and penetration. I usually begin by pointing out the anatomy before viewing and then reinforcing what their own eyes are teaching them about how swallow physiology works. This has saved so much time in education sessions and helps people understand what they’re seeing when I show them their own imaging. When I can point to something happening on the video and say “this is what I saw happening in your study,” it helps people understand that we’re focusing on a specific problem.
by St*****, 2024-12-06

Great tool, it’s just hard to narrate when you’re not the one controlling the pointer
by Ov*****, 2023-12-04

I use this app on my phione to do a quick inservice to patients, families, nursing , CNA personel and Students in the field of Dysphagial. Every little inservice I do, the person/patient always states they have a greater underdstanding about normal swallow and the Dysphagia that they are experiencing, or what the individual patient with Dysphagia can drink or eatr, or to remain NPO. Mary Whitney Valantine M.S. CCC-SLP
by Ma*****, 2023-09-19
View all user reviews ›

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