Diagnostic and therapeutic methods in the management of dysphagia in the ALS population: issues in efficacy for the out-patient setting.

ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary skeletal muscle. The muscle weakness that results from ALS is relentlessly progressive and rehabilitative attempts to strengthen affected muscles usually fail. When managing swallowing and communication disorders in individuals with ALS, the goals are to maximize function and safety through the use of compensatory strategies, energy conservation, and patient and caregiver education and counseling. This paper will review the current methods of assessment and treatment used with this population in the outpatient setting.