Reimagining the role of speech pathology within neonatal neurodevelopmental follow up care: Perspectives from a secondary level newborn service.
Tracks
1
Feeding
Infant feeding
Multidisciplinary practice
Neonatal care
Neuro-developmental disability
| Sunday, June 15, 2025 |
| 11:30 AM - 11:40 AM |
Overview
Paridhi Agarwal Kulkarni and Elodie Jeffers
Details
⏫ Peer-led dialogue
⏲️ 11.30am - 12.30pm
⌛ 60-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (Some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
⏲️ 11.30am - 12.30pm
⌛ 60-minutes
📚 Assumed knowledge of attendees: Intermediate (Some previous learning/working knowledge of topic e.g. treated a few cases)
Presenter
Ms Paridhi Agarwal Kulkarni
Eastern Health
Reimagining the role of speech pathology within neonatal neurodevelopmental follow up care: Perspectives from a secondary level newborn service.
11:30 AM - 12:30 PMPresentation summary
Background:
Neurodevelopmental follow up for medically complex and preterm infants has traditionally been led by neonatologists, physiotherapists and psychologists. With advancements in neonatal care, we have seen a reduction in the incidence and severity of cerebral palsy and gained a greater understanding of the broader risk to long-term motor, language/communication, feeding and nutrition, cognitive, sensory and social development.
The first Australian clinical guideline on follow up care for infants born very preterm was released only in 2024. This guideline highlights the importance of “growth” alongside “health” and “development” and identifies the need for feeding and growth follow up especially post discharge and up to three-four months corrected age.
Objective:
This session will commence by exploring the present role of speech pathologists within neurodevelopmental follow up care in metropolitan Melbourne. Current literature around the impacts of nutrition and feeding on neurodevelopmental outcomes will be explored along with an in-depth look at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) endorsed clinical guidelines for preterm follow up care.
Following this discussion, we will share the neurodevelopmental follow up pathway at Eastern Health, with particular focus on the role of speech pathology and dietetics from birth to 3 months corrected age.
This will include:
- Identifying and tailoring services to match patient demographics and parent/caregiver needs within available resources.
- Guiding principles which include a flexible needs-based approach, enhancing parental capacity and wellbeing, and access to timely multidisciplinary allied health supports.
- Exploring challenges and barriers such as limited resources (physical space, staffing, equipment) and lack of standardised feeding and nutritional assessment tools.
Conclusion:
This interactive presentation intends to highlight the importance of speech pathologists as core members of the neurodevelopmental team and to empower them to advocate for their vital role within neurodevelopment follow up care.
Neurodevelopmental follow up for medically complex and preterm infants has traditionally been led by neonatologists, physiotherapists and psychologists. With advancements in neonatal care, we have seen a reduction in the incidence and severity of cerebral palsy and gained a greater understanding of the broader risk to long-term motor, language/communication, feeding and nutrition, cognitive, sensory and social development.
The first Australian clinical guideline on follow up care for infants born very preterm was released only in 2024. This guideline highlights the importance of “growth” alongside “health” and “development” and identifies the need for feeding and growth follow up especially post discharge and up to three-four months corrected age.
Objective:
This session will commence by exploring the present role of speech pathologists within neurodevelopmental follow up care in metropolitan Melbourne. Current literature around the impacts of nutrition and feeding on neurodevelopmental outcomes will be explored along with an in-depth look at the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) endorsed clinical guidelines for preterm follow up care.
Following this discussion, we will share the neurodevelopmental follow up pathway at Eastern Health, with particular focus on the role of speech pathology and dietetics from birth to 3 months corrected age.
This will include:
- Identifying and tailoring services to match patient demographics and parent/caregiver needs within available resources.
- Guiding principles which include a flexible needs-based approach, enhancing parental capacity and wellbeing, and access to timely multidisciplinary allied health supports.
- Exploring challenges and barriers such as limited resources (physical space, staffing, equipment) and lack of standardised feeding and nutritional assessment tools.
Conclusion:
This interactive presentation intends to highlight the importance of speech pathologists as core members of the neurodevelopmental team and to empower them to advocate for their vital role within neurodevelopment follow up care.
Refrences
Belfort, M. B., & Inder, T. E. (2022). Human milk and preterm infant brain development: a narrative review. Clinical therapeutics, 44(4), 612-621.
Bell, K. A., Cherkerzian, S., Drouin, K., Matthews, L. G., Inder, T. E., Prohl, A. K., ... & Belfort, M. B. (2022). Associations of macronutrient intake determined by point-of-care human milk analysis with brain development among very preterm infants. Children, 9(7), 969.
Bell, K. A., Matthews, L. G., Cherkerzian, S., Prohl, A. K., Warfield, S. K., Inder, T. E., ... & Belfort, M. B. (2022). Associations of body composition with regional brain volumes and white matter microstructure in very preterm infants. Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal Edition, 107(5), 533-538.
Dietrich, L. J., Gong, A., Gelfond, J., & Blanco, C. L. (2024). Oral feeding trajectories and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 and 24 month follow-up for preterm infants. Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, (Preprint), 1-10.
Grabill, M., Smith, J., Ibrahim, C., & Pineda, R. (2023). Prevalence of early feeding alterations among preterm infants and their relationship to early neurobehavior. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(3), 7703205170.
Jadcherla, S. R., Khot, T., Moore, R., Malkar, M., Gulati, I. K., & Slaughter, J. L. (2017). Feeding methods at discharge predict long-term feeding and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants referred for gastrostomy evaluation. The Journal of pediatrics, 181, 125-130.
Kelly, C. E., Shaul, M., Thompson, D. K., Mainzer, R. M., Yang, J. Y., Dhollander, T., ... & Anderson, P. J. (2023). Long-lasting effects of very preterm birth on brain structure in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 147, 105082.
McIntyre, S., Goldsmith, S., Webb, A., Ehlinger, V., Hollung, S. J., McConnell, K., ... & Global CP Prevalence Group*. (2022). Global prevalence of cerebral palsy: A systematic analysis. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 64(12), 1494-1506.
Mizuno, K., & Ueda, A. (2005). Neonatal feeding performance as a predictor of neurodevelopmental outcome at 18 months. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 47(5), 299-304.
Patra, K., & Greene, M. M. (2019). Impact of feeding difficulties in the NICU on neurodevelopmental outcomes at 8 and 20 months corrected age in extremely low gestational age infants. Journal of Perinatology, 39(9), 1241-1248.
Pineda, R., Heiny, E., Nellis, P., Smith, J., McGrath, J. M., Collins, M., & Barker, A. (2020). The Baby Bridge program: A sustainable program that can improve therapy service delivery for preterm infants following NICU discharge. PLoS ONE, 15(5), e0233411.
Pineda, R., Heiny, E., Roussin, J., Nellis, P., Bogan, K., & Smith, J. (2020). Implementation of the Baby Bridge program reduces timing between NICU discharge and therapy activation. Journal of Early Intervention, 42(3), 275-296.
Pineda, R., Harris, R., Foci, F., Roussin, J., & Wallendorf, M. (2018). Neonatal Eating Outcome Assessment: tool development and inter‐rater reliability. Acta Paediatrica, 107(3), 414-424.
Preterm follow-up guideline development group. Guideline for Growth,
Health and Developmental Follow-Up for Children Born Very Preterm.
Melbourne: Centre of Research Excellence in Newborn Medicine; 2024.
Rinat, S., Mackay, M., Synnes, A., Holsti, L., & Zwicker, J. G. (2022). Early feeding behaviours of extremely preterm infants predict neurodevelopmental outcomes. Early Human Development, 173, 105647.
Speech Pathology Australia. (2004). Speech pathology practice in neonatal care. The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited.
Bell, K. A., Cherkerzian, S., Drouin, K., Matthews, L. G., Inder, T. E., Prohl, A. K., ... & Belfort, M. B. (2022). Associations of macronutrient intake determined by point-of-care human milk analysis with brain development among very preterm infants. Children, 9(7), 969.
Bell, K. A., Matthews, L. G., Cherkerzian, S., Prohl, A. K., Warfield, S. K., Inder, T. E., ... & Belfort, M. B. (2022). Associations of body composition with regional brain volumes and white matter microstructure in very preterm infants. Archives of Disease in Childhood-Fetal and Neonatal Edition, 107(5), 533-538.
Dietrich, L. J., Gong, A., Gelfond, J., & Blanco, C. L. (2024). Oral feeding trajectories and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 and 24 month follow-up for preterm infants. Journal of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, (Preprint), 1-10.
Grabill, M., Smith, J., Ibrahim, C., & Pineda, R. (2023). Prevalence of early feeding alterations among preterm infants and their relationship to early neurobehavior. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(3), 7703205170.
Jadcherla, S. R., Khot, T., Moore, R., Malkar, M., Gulati, I. K., & Slaughter, J. L. (2017). Feeding methods at discharge predict long-term feeding and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants referred for gastrostomy evaluation. The Journal of pediatrics, 181, 125-130.
Kelly, C. E., Shaul, M., Thompson, D. K., Mainzer, R. M., Yang, J. Y., Dhollander, T., ... & Anderson, P. J. (2023). Long-lasting effects of very preterm birth on brain structure in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 147, 105082.
McIntyre, S., Goldsmith, S., Webb, A., Ehlinger, V., Hollung, S. J., McConnell, K., ... & Global CP Prevalence Group*. (2022). Global prevalence of cerebral palsy: A systematic analysis. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 64(12), 1494-1506.
Mizuno, K., & Ueda, A. (2005). Neonatal feeding performance as a predictor of neurodevelopmental outcome at 18 months. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 47(5), 299-304.
Patra, K., & Greene, M. M. (2019). Impact of feeding difficulties in the NICU on neurodevelopmental outcomes at 8 and 20 months corrected age in extremely low gestational age infants. Journal of Perinatology, 39(9), 1241-1248.
Pineda, R., Heiny, E., Nellis, P., Smith, J., McGrath, J. M., Collins, M., & Barker, A. (2020). The Baby Bridge program: A sustainable program that can improve therapy service delivery for preterm infants following NICU discharge. PLoS ONE, 15(5), e0233411.
Pineda, R., Heiny, E., Roussin, J., Nellis, P., Bogan, K., & Smith, J. (2020). Implementation of the Baby Bridge program reduces timing between NICU discharge and therapy activation. Journal of Early Intervention, 42(3), 275-296.
Pineda, R., Harris, R., Foci, F., Roussin, J., & Wallendorf, M. (2018). Neonatal Eating Outcome Assessment: tool development and inter‐rater reliability. Acta Paediatrica, 107(3), 414-424.
Preterm follow-up guideline development group. Guideline for Growth,
Health and Developmental Follow-Up for Children Born Very Preterm.
Melbourne: Centre of Research Excellence in Newborn Medicine; 2024.
Rinat, S., Mackay, M., Synnes, A., Holsti, L., & Zwicker, J. G. (2022). Early feeding behaviours of extremely preterm infants predict neurodevelopmental outcomes. Early Human Development, 173, 105647.
Speech Pathology Australia. (2004). Speech pathology practice in neonatal care. The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited.
**********
Elodie Jeffers
Eastern Health
Reimagining the role of speech pathology within neonatal neurodevelopmental follow up care: Perspectives from a secondary level newborn service.
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM**********
Elodie is a speech pathologist working in the neonatal setting across the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Passionate about advocating for the role of speech pathologists in early development, she focuses on creating space for speech pathology within multidisciplinary teams and enhancing collaborative care for neonates.
Elodie co-authored a study exploring the role of caregiver training for managing feeding behaviours in children with paediatric feeding disorders, published in 2024.
The information contained in this program is current at of the time of publishing but is subject to changes made without notice.
Disclaimer: © (2024) The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. All rights reserved.
Important Notice, please read: The views expressed in this presentation and reproduced in these materials are not necessarily the views of, or endorsed by, The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited ("the Association"). The Association makes no warranty or representation in relation to the content, currency or accuracy of any of the materials comprised in this presentation. The Association expressly disclaims any and all liability (including liability for negligence) in respect of use of these materials and the information contained within them. The Association recommends you seek independent professional advice prior to making any decision involving matters outlined in this presentation including in any of the materials referred to or otherwise incorporated into this presentation.
.
