Dysphagia Evaluation Specialists

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Dysphagia Evaluation Specialists Our guarantees include:

1. Arrival within 24-72 hours of receiving a consult request. Call or email us today to schedule an in-service or demonstration!

Valeria Krivelevich, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
FEES Educator | Book Author | Mobile FEES Owner | Trusted endoscopy education for SLPs

šŸŽ‰Enhance Your Scope!šŸ‘‡

https://lnk.bio/dysphagia.eval.specialists Dysphagia Evaluation Specialists is the leading provider of mobile Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) services to skilled nursing facilities throughout New York State and New Jersey. We stand behind the principles of excellence, quality of life, and service to our community and work diligently to elevate the quality of dysphagia care for our patients by providing a safe, cost effective diagnostic tool directly to skilled nursing facilities. In cases of emergency we will come on the same day or morning immediately following receiving a consult request.

2. Arrival at a time that is convenient for your Speech-Pathologist so that they can take part in important decision making during the diagnostic process.

3. A highly detailed evaluation report with color images printed and handed in before we leave the facility.

4. Strong support for your Speech-Pathology staff in assisting them with development of a sound plan of care for their patients based on objective findings.

10/15/2026
10/14/2026

Why does it seem like some of these nightmare scenarios are all too real sometimes? šŸ¤”šŸ«£šŸ˜†

I had fun making this post. Tell me some of your medical SLP nightmare scenarios!

10/13/2026

šŸ”Š Sound on for the transformation šŸ˜‚

When you spot an anomaly on FEES or Videostroboscopy, how you describe it matters.

There’s a difference between noticing something and describing it in a way that’s clear, accurate, and clinically useful.

That’s exactly why I created my books. To help SLPs move beyond ā€œI see something weirdā€ to confident, precise clinical descriptions.

And let’s be honest, it feels pretty good to be proud of the wording you use in your reports. šŸ˜‰

Comment DUO to check out the Ebooks!
Comment BOOKS to check out the physical books!

10/10/2026

Hi everyone! I have an announcement to make that saddens me a bit. While I will continue to post educational content on this page, I will no longer be posting FEES videos. I’ve been inundated by accounts and comments that are clearly not from medical SLPs or individuals in the medical field. I receive inappropriate comments and messages, and am occasionally inundated by calls on messenger at all hours of the day and nightļæ¼. This has become an unpleasant space for me.

For those of you who are here respectfully and enjoy my content, thank you!

I continue to post on a different platform that I have less such issues with. I’m not going to name that platform or my handle (it’s different from this one). You should be able to find me or you are welcome to DM me or comment the word SHARE below and if I recognize you as an appropriate account that is truly interested in the medical SLP field, I will share that information.

As mentioned above, I will continue to share other educational content from time to time that does not contain FEES images.

Thank you for understanding!

10/08/2026

Let me know what spooks you too! šŸ‘»šŸŽƒšŸ§™šŸ¦‡

šŸ‘» Things that spook me: FEES edition
Let’s start with this one:

This one has always been hard for me to understand.
Because with the objective data I gather from FEES, I can honestly say that over the past decade I have rarely recommended honey/moderately thick liquids.

So when I see that recommendation made from a clinical swallowing evaluation, without instrumental data showing how the patient is actually responding to that viscosity, it gives me pause.

A cough does not automatically mean aspiration.

No cough does not automatically mean the swallow was safe.

And thicker does not automatically mean safer.

In a randomized trial by Robbins et al. (2008), pneumonia occurred in 15.0% of participants assigned to honey-thick liquids compared with 8.4% assigned to nectar-thick liquidsover three months. The same study also reported dehydration more frequently among participants assigned to thickened liquids than those using a chin-down posture.

If we are going to make a significant modification to someone’s liquids, especially one that can affect hydration, intake, and quality of life, I want objective data guiding that decision whenever clinically appropriate and available.

Reference:ļæ½Robbins J, et al. Ann Intern Med.2008;148(7):509-518.

šŸ‘» Things That Spook Me: FEES Edition
Someone well meaning asking a patient with a mouthful of food, ā€œDoes that taste good?ā€

And I get it. They’re usually excited because this can sometimes be the patient’s very first bite of food they’ve had in months. It’s an emotional moment, and everyone wants to celebrate it with them.

But during a FEES, this can actually interrupt the study and prolong the examination.

More importantly, if a patient has reduced oral control, attempting to answer while they still have food in their mouth can create a safety issue. I have seen episodes where a piece of food entered the airway when the patient attempted to respond.

During the study, I want the patient focused on the task at hand: eating and drinking while I observe what is happening.
So please,

10/01/2026

Medical SLPs: do you know what this finding is called? šŸ‘€

Laryngeal melanosis

Laryngeal melanosis is one of those findings you may go years without seeing… and then one day, there it is.

It typically presents as flat brown to dark pigmentation of the laryngeal mucosa and is considered extremely rare.

One important association is chronic to***co exposure. Laryngeal melanosis has also been reported in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract, although the literature is limited and the finding itself is not synonymous with cancer.

For the SLP-endoscopist, our role is to observe, describe, document, and refer when appropriate.

In this case, I documented ectopic brown hyperpigmentation involving the arytenoid region, interarytenoid and postcricoid spaces, and right aryepiglottic fold.

Want to get more confident describing what you see during FEES? That’s exactly why I created my books, Detailed Surface Anatomy of the Pharynx and Larynx for the SLP-Endoscopist and Describing Laryngeal & Pharyngeal Anomalies for the SLP-Endoscopist.

They’re designed to help you build the language to describe unexpected findings clearly and confidently, without overstepping into diagnosis.

Comment ā€œDUOā€ to check out the E-books!
Comment ā€œBOOKSā€ and I’ll send you the link for the physical books!

09/29/2026

There are some texts that make your whole day. 🄹 Even your whole year, and remind you why you do the work you do.

I recently got a message from an SLP who enrolled in my Mobile FEES Mastery program and has experienced some wonderful milestones in her new mobile FEES business.

Over the years, I’ve built several different ways for SLPs to learn from me and work with me, depending on where they are in their FEES journey.

Whether you’re trying to strengthen your anatomy and identification skills, become more confident interpreting what you see during FEES, gain competency in scoping, learn how to partner with ENTs, integrate FEES into an outpatient clinic, or learn how to build a mobile FEES business, I want the resources I create to be practical and actually usable in real life.

Books. Courses. FEES training. Business consulting. And more coming.

I’ve spent a lot of years figuring things out through experience, mistakes, research, and a whole lot of trial and error. Being able to make that path a little easier for someone else is pretty special.

And yes… texts like this absolutely fill me with joy. šŸ’›

If you’ve been wanting to learn from or work with me, tell me what you’re looking for below or send me a DM.

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New York, NY
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