Courses · NDIS Key Requirements
Mealtime Management and Dysphagia Support
Choking and aspiration are leading preventable causes of death for people with disability. Texture levels, positioning, the signs of silent aspiration, and what to do when someone chokes.
About this certificate
Non-accredited Certificate of Completion covering underpinning knowledge. IMPORTANT — where a participant has severe dysphagia, mealtime support is a High Intensity Daily Personal Activity under the NDIS Practice Standards. You must also have participant-specific competency sign-off, a current mealtime management plan prepared by a speech pathologist and/or dietitian, and your provider's authorisation. This module does not replace that assessment or that plan.
About this module
Mealtime management is one of the highest-risk routine tasks in disability support, and the risk is almost entirely preventable. This module covers how swallowing works and what goes wrong in dysphagia, the IDDSI texture and fluid framework, mealtime management plans, safe positioning and pacing, recognising overt and silent aspiration, aspiration pneumonia, choking first aid using Australian guidance, oral care, and the scope boundaries around severe dysphagia.
Who it is for
Support workers, personal care workers, SIL and group home staff, day program staff, cooks and anyone who prepares food for or assists a participant to eat.
What you will be able to do
- Explain what dysphagia is and why it is dangerous
- Interpret an IDDSI texture and fluid level and prepare food to it
- Follow a mealtime management plan, including positioning and pacing
- Recognise overt and silent aspiration and the signs of aspiration pneumonia
- Respond to choking using current Australian guidance
- Escalate correctly and know the scope limits around severe dysphagia
Aligned to
- NDIS Practice Standards — Mealtime Management
- NDIS High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors — Severe dysphagia supports
- IDDSI — International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative
- ANZCOR Guidelines — choking
Lesson plan
What the module covers
| # | Lesson | What it covers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Swallowing, dysphagia and why this matters so much | What goes wrong, who is at risk, and the deaths that keep happening. | 16m |
| 02 | IDDSI levels and mealtime management plans | Getting the texture exactly right, and following the plan precisely. | 16m |
| 03 | Safe mealtimes, choking and escalation | Positioning, pacing, dignity — and what to do when it goes wrong. | 16m |
| ✓ | Final assessment | 11 scenario-based questions · pass mark 85% · unlimited attempts | ~15m |
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