# Dysphagia — Swallow Impairment Animations > Visual tool for educating about swallowing disorders with detailed animations. (iPhone/iPad app by Northern Speech Services, Inc.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dysphagia/id494326380 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Northern Speech Services, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/492295770) - Category: Medical, Education - Price: $9.99 - Rating: 3.80/5 from 16 App Store ratings · 25 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 14.1 · 282 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-02-10 - Data updated: 2026-08-24 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dysphagia/id494326380/reviews.md ## What is Dysphagia? Excellent visual tool to aid professionals in educating patients and families about swallowing disorders. This app features custom-designed animations derived from MBSImP™ research on swallowing physiology and impairment. The animations accurately depict normal swallow physiology and provide clear examples of varying physiologic impairments of the swallow. Controls allow for zoom, slow motion, pause, and frame-by-frame scroll. Includes an overview of normal swallow function, and links to other educational resources. Animations are of adult physiology and include: • Normal Swallow, Lateral View • Normal Swallow, A/P View • Example of Penetration with Aspiration • Impairment of Anterior Hyoid Excursion • Impairment of Bolus Hold • Impairment of Bolus Transport • Impairment of Epiglottic Movement • Impairment of Esophageal Clearance • Impairment of Initiation of Pharyngeal Swallow • Impairment of Laryngeal Elevation • Impairment of Laryngeal Vestibular Closure • Impairment of Lip Closure • Impairment of Mastication • Impairment of PES Opening • Impairment of Pharyngeal Contraction • Impairment of Pharyngeal Stripping Wave • Impairment of Soft Palate Elevation • Impairment of Tongue Base Retraction User Notes: • Animations depict adult physiology, including normal swallow. • Animations do not include narration. Visual tool only. • The animations included in this app accurately represent the anatomy and physiology of normal and impaired swallowing function. They were developed in conjunction with the evidence-based "Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile," or MBSImP. • Rarely does one physiologic swallow impairment exist alone. This app highlights primary impairments, but co-existing impairments typically occur and the examples shown here are no exception. • Available for iPhone and iPad. ## Key features - Swallowing physiology animations - Normal and impaired swallow examples - MBSImP™ research derived - Zoom, slow motion, pause controls - Frame-by-frame playback - Links to educational resources ## Recent user reviews (10 of 25) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dysphagia/id494326380/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Great patient/caregiver education tool *2024-12-06* I use this app several times a week to provide patient and caregiver education after MBS studies. I find it especially helpful to have them watch the normal lateral view video and share their initial observations, followed by the example with aspiration and penetration. I usually begin by pointing out the anatomy before viewing and then reinforcing what their own eyes are teaching them about how swallow physiology works. This has saved so much time in education sessions and helps people understand what they’re seeing when I show them their own imaging. When I can point to something happening on the video and say “this is what I saw happening in your study,” it helps people understand that we’re focusing on a specific problem. ### 3/5 — Audio would be helpful *2023-12-04* Great tool, it’s just hard to narrate when you’re not the one controlling the pointer ### 5/5 — Excellant for Education *2023-09-19* I use this app on my phione to do a quick inservice to patients, families, nursing , CNA personel and Students in the field of Dysphagial. Every little inservice I do, the person/patient always states they have a greater underdstanding about normal swallow and the Dysphagia that they are experiencing, or what the individual patient with Dysphagia can drink or eatr, or to remain NPO. Mary Whitney Valantine M.S. CCC-SLP ### 5/5 — Very helpful *2021-02-05* I use this app at least weekly in my practice, I so appreciate the clarity of the visuals and love that you can single out specific areas of impairment. Helpful for patients and colleagues alike. ### 1/5 — Not worth the money *2020-11-21* This app has so much potential but it falls flat. There are only a handful of videos, which you can slow down and that part is helpful. However, for $13 I would expect a lot more videos. They are all animated, which again is good for learning, but it would be great if there were some real life videos. I’m really hoping they add more videos soon. Overall, pretty disappointing. ### 5/5 — Very helpful *2020-01-09* I use this app all the time to explain to patients about normal swallowing and about the nature of their dysphagia. Would be helpful if it could show reflux, and pharyngeal residue post swallow. ### 5/5 — Great tool *2019-07-07* I’ve been using this app for years and still enjoy it. It provides so much info to my patients and their families on what I look for and how the swallow works. It provides great photos and a slow motion ability to help them understand all the structures involved in a safe swallow. ### 1/5 — Dysphagia app *2016-11-06* Over priced by about 8 bucks Works fine but I don't see this getting much if any long term use other than to have something at hand to educate lay ppl ### 1/5 — Expected Much More from Northern Speech *2016-01-14* As a student clinician, I was hoping to have purchased an app that I could use for reference, and show to patients. Northern Speech is such a great company with a wealth of resources, that I assumed this app would be no exception. I was disappointed that there were few videos, no vocal descriptions, and also not at least a brief structure description. ### 1/5 — Disappointing *2015-09-10, version 2.0* This app could be really great for educating dysphagia patients. However, there are only a few swallow sample videos to choose from and they don't seem to represent the problems that my patents have. In my opinion, $10.00 is an outrageous price for an app like this but I'm willing to pay it if the app serves a purpose. This does not come close to being adequate. There is hope, though. If the maker of the app is willing to add more videos (many more are needed to make this app worthwhile - at least 10-15 more) than I will rewrite this review and give it a better rating. Right now it's not worth the money that they are charging. Please update with more videos. ## Frequently asked questions about Dysphagia ### What is Dysphagia? Dysphagia is a visual tool designed to help medical professionals educate patients and their families about swallowing disorders. It features custom-designed animations based on MBSImP™ research to illustrate normal and impaired swallowing physiology. ### What kind of animations does Dysphagia offer? Dysphagia offers animations depicting adult swallowing physiology, including normal swallows from lateral and A/P views, as well as various impairments such as penetration with aspiration, impaired bolus transport, and impaired laryngeal elevation. ### Can I control the playback of the animations in Dysphagia? Yes, Dysphagia provides controls for zoom, slow motion, pause, and frame-by-frame scrolling, allowing for detailed examination of the swallowing process and its impairments. ### Does Dysphagia include narration for the animations? No, Dysphagia is a visual tool only and does not include narration for its animations. The focus is on providing clear visual representations of swallowing function and dysfunction. ### What is the price of Dysphagia? Dysphagia is available for a one-time purchase of $9.99. ### On which devices can I use Dysphagia? Dysphagia is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. ### How often is Dysphagia updated? The latest version of Dysphagia is 2.3, and it was last updated on October 9, 2021. This indicates a moderate update frequency. ### What is the age rating for Dysphagia? Dysphagia has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.3 — 2021-10-09 - Updated for iOS 15 ### 2.2 — 2020-05-27 - Updated for iOS 13 - Implemented support for Dark Mode ### 2.1.2 — 2017-11-07 - Fixed bug where the animation frames would appear out of order on some devices ### 2.1.1 — 2017-11-03 - Updated for iOS 11 & iPhone X - Fixed memory issue that would affect animation playback - Additional bug fixes and stability improvements ### 2.1 — 2017-06-02 Added 8 new impairment animation videos Added a narrated overview of normal swallow function Enabled screen zoom feature for animation videos Expanded educational resources ## Apps similar to Dysphagia | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Voice Analyst: Pitch & Volume](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/voice-analyst-pitch-and-volume/id732245213) | 4.6 (374) | $17.99 | Medical | | [F-STAC](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/f-stac/id1014974144) | 4.4 (8) | $149.99 | Medical | | [IDDSI](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iddsi/id1145593063) | 1.6 (14) | Free | Medical | | [Visual Attention Therapy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-attention-therapy/id539203206) | 4.7 (486) | $19.99 | Medical | | [Dysphagia Therapy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dysphagia-therapy/id1029980637) | 4.9 (490) | $19.99 | Medical | | [Spaced Retrieval Therapy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spaced-retrieval-therapy/id498787795) | 4.7 (32) | $9.99 | Medical | ## Related topics [dysphagia](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/dysphagia) · [dysphagia therapy](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/dysphagia-therapy) · [dysphagia training](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/dysphagia-training) · [dysphagiaapp](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/dysphagiaapp) · [smalltalk dysphagia](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/smalltalk-dysphagia) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*