Pediatric Swallowing and Feeding: Assessment and Management

Joan C. Arvedson

Joan C. Arvedson, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is a speech-language pathologist, with specialty in Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Disorders at Children’s Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and clinical professor in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology-Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin. She is recognized internationally for her clinical work in pediatric swallowing and feeding disorders, lecturing/teaching, and scientific publications. The first two editions of this book were published while she was at the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo/Kaleida Health in Buffalo, NY. The third and fourth edition editors are Arvedson, Brodsky, and Lefton-Greif. Drs. Arvedson and Lefton-Greif co-authored Pediatric Videofluoroscopic Swallow Studies: A Professional Manual with Caregiver Guidelines. Dr. Arvedson developed an online course, Interpretation of videofluoroscopic swallow studies of infants and children: A study guide to improve diagnostic skills and treatment planning. She also developed independent study videoconferences for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s professional development initiatives. Dr. Arvedson is a founding member of the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders and was a member of the founding board of Feeding Matters, Inc. She is a member of the Gravens Consensus Panel for Infant and Family-Centered Developmental Care (IFCDC) in the Intensive Care Unit. Dr. Arvedson is a member of the editorial board of Dysphagia. She is past-president of the New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Society for Ear, Nose, and Throat Advances in Children (SENTAC).

She is a Fellow of ASHA and was awarded Honors of the Association in 2016. She has received honors from multiple professional organizations, most recently SENTAC Outstanding Contribution Award, 2024 and Gold Medalist by the Dysphagia Research Society, 2025. Most important: she continues to work with patients, families, and other professional team members locally, regionally, and internationally.

Learn More

Linda Brodsky

Linda Brodsky, MD (1952–2014), an internationally recognized pediatric otolaryngologist, was Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology at the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo/ Kaleida Health in Buffalo, New York; Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo Medical School; Director of the Children Hospital’s Center for Pediatric Otolaryngology and Communication Disorders. Dr. Brodsky was co-editor of the first two editions of Pediatric Swallowing and Feeding: Assessment and Management with Dr. Arvedson. In 2014, preliminary discussions were underway for the third edition. She’s authored more than 100 scientific papers and 27 book chapters and served on the editorial boards of several medical journals. She was listed in the Best Doctors in America series and Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. Dr. Brodsky was presented with the Sylvan Stool award for excellence in teaching by the Society for Ear, Nose, and Throat Advances in Children. She was a strong advocate for mentorship of young women in medicine. Her devotion to her patients and tenacity in advocating for their care was legendary. We are grateful for her contributions to prior editions that continue throughout updated chapters in this fourth edition. Dr. Brodsky continues to be missed by her family, colleagues, and patients.

Learn More

Maureen A. Lefton-Greif

Maureen A. Lefton-Greif, PhD CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is a speech-language pathologist and Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. An expert clinician and clinical researcher in pediatric feeding and swallowing development and disorders, she has

presented nationally and internationally. Her work focuses on optimizing pediatric swallowing evaluations to facilitate the prompt initiation of interventions and lessen the consequences associated with dysphagia. Dr. Lefton-Greif has received grants and support from the National Institutes of Health—National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders,

the Ataxia-Telangiectasia Children’s Project, and other sources. She co-edited the third edition of this book and, with Dr. Arvedson, co-authored Pediatric Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Studies: A Professional Manual with Caregiver Guidelines. More recently, she and Dr. Bonnie Martin-Harris developed the BaByVFSSImP © to quantify physiologic swallow impairments in bottle-fed children. She also developed the Feeding/Swallowing Impact Survey (FS-IS), the first outcome measure designed to assess how children’s feeding and swallowing problems affect caregivers, and it has since been translated and culturally adapted into multiple languages. She is a Fellow of ASHA and was awarded the Honors of the Association in 2026. She is a founding member and the first vice-president of the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders, the recipient of SENTAC’s 2024 Ruben Scientific Achievement Award, and serves on the editorial boards of Dysphagia.

Learn More