ALS Alabama Partners
with MedBridge

ALS Alabama partners with MedBridge and and an Advisory Board of experts to present a self-paced, evidenced-based curriculum for community-based clinicians related to bulbar dysfunction (speech and swallowing) in ALS in order to optimize patient care and clinical practice.

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About the ALS Association Alabama Chapter

The Alabama Chapter was founded in 2004 to serve the needs of all those affected by ALS disease. We provide patient programs, advocate on behalf of patients with our government leaders, create awareness of the disease, and fund research. In addition, the Chapter provides financial support to our statewide multidisciplinary ALS clinics and research facilities, enabling them to increase patient care.

The ALS Association is the ONLY national not-for-profit health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS. The ALS Association covers all the bases — research, patient and community services, public education, and advocacy — in providing help and hope to those facing the disease.

Alongside the ALS Association National Office, the Alabama Chapter operates under a shared mission: to lead the fight to cure and treat ALS through global, cutting-edge research, and to empower people with Lou Gehrig's Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support.


Visit the ALS Association Alabama Chapter Website

Three Course ALS Series

ALS 101
presented by Kathleen Smith

Video Runtime: 55 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 48 Minutes

This course will provide you with the base knowledge about ALS, including diagnostic procedures, symptoms, and management, for working with patients with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). This course will include information to assist clinicians with determining the best course of action when working with this complex neurological disease and understanding the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to care. This course is appropriate for speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, dietitians, social workers, respiratory therapists, and nurses working with ALS patients in all settings, including home health, hospitals, and outpatient clinics.

ALS 101 is part of a series of three courses developed in partnership with MedBridge, The ALS Association Alabama Chapter, and an Advisory Board of experts who worked together to carefully develop a self-paced, evidenced-based curriculum for community-based clinicians related to bulbar dysfunction (speech and swallowing) in ALS in order to optimize patient care and clinical practice.

The purpose of this course is to give the learner a basic knowledge of ALS as well as to provide context to the overall 3-course series and emphasize the importance of the multidisciplinary care team, including the role of the SLP. Please be sure to check out the other courses in this series:

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Introduction to the Assessment and Management of Dysphagia in ALS
presented by Kendrea L. (Focht) Garand

Video Runtime: 68 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 29 Minutes

Did you know that the majority of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) present with dysphagia, requiring an interdisciplinary approach to optimize patient care? This course material, presented by Dr. Garand, was designed with the primary purpose of sharing knowledge with clinicians who provide dysphagia clinical services for patients with ALS. Since ALS is a rare disease and standardized clinical practices are not yet available, this course will provide a comprehensive overview for how ALS impacts swallowing function and what evidence is currently available to guide management for dysphagia. Patient videos will be used to highlight impairments discussed, and specific management strategies will also be provided. This course was developed in collaboration with Drs. Emily Plowman and Debra Suiter. It is part of a three-course series on ALS. Please be sure to check out the other courses in this series:

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Speech and Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) in ALS
presented by John Costello & Meghan O'Brien

Video Runtime: 78 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 52 Minutes

This course addresses ongoing evaluation and management of communication challenges secondary to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Following course completion, clinicians will describe systems and strategies to support communication intelligibility for individuals with ALS. The intended audience is speech-language pathologists (working in inpatient, outpatient, rehabilitation, home health, and long-term care facilities) with no or limited experience working with people with ALS. SLPs will define and describe the impact of dysarthria/anarthria resulting from ALS on the speech subsystems and learn strategies for intervention associated with improving intelligibility of speech and conserving energy. Strategies for voice preservation (message banking™ and voice banking) will be addressed. Providers will learn about evaluation and implementation of high-tech speech-generating technologies, quick-access communication strategies, and options for emergency alerting. Finally, time will be spent in discussing strategies for training communication partners.

Please be sure to check out the other courses in this series:

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Thousands of SLPs Improve Lives With MedBridge

Julie Wring, MA, CCC-SLP

“I trust MedBridge to offer me interesting, high-quality courses that are timely and relevant to my everyday experiences.”

Julie Wring, MA, CCC-SLP

Michele Morton, MS, CCC-SLP

“The dysphagia course (The Normal Swallow) I viewed has proven to be a useful resource in my particular setting. It was a great refresher on what's normal for different diagnosis' and age groups, as well as identifying other important information, such as labs. Thanks for providing an avenue for learning that's both convenient and informative!”

Michele Morton, MS, CCC-SLP,
Trinity Mother Frances Rehabilitation Hospital

Elizabeth Steffen, SLP

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Elizabeth Steffen, SLP,
HealthSouth

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