Abstract
Aims: This research aimed to acquire basic information about the practice of the types of easy-to-eat meals served at special schools, daycare facilities and residential facilities for children and adults with disability in the developmental period in order to make a Japanese standard classification of swallowing-ameliorating food for persons getting dysphagia in the developmental period.
Subjects and Method: We constructed a questionnaire about the types of easy-to-eat meals served at lunchtime, and then sent it to all daycare facilities and residential facilities for persons with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) and all special schools for disabilities in Tokyo and Shizuoka prefectures. The number of facilities targeted by the survey was 502. We evaluated the responses and compared them between special schools and facilities for persons with SMID.
Results and Discussion: Three hundred twelve facilities or schools answered the survey (response rate: 63.3%). The number of types was many, but each type was rearranged by caregivers or teachers to adapt to the swallowing ability of each client or student. The types had various names, and some names indicated multiple types. The number of names of each type was bigger among the facilities than among the schools.
Conclusion: It was found to be important to make a Japanese standard classification of swallowing-ameliorating food for persons getting dysphagia in the developmental period. We will propose a classification using the results.
