Deglutition training method and apparatus
OwnerMarc J. Schneidermaninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of teaching pill swallowing by initially administering very small, usually hollow, pills and increasing the pill size gradually during the learning period. The learning period is ordinarily a period of days. Such a method is effective as a result of success-oriented positive reinforcement. A teaching kit for facilitated learning is also disclosed.
Claims12
A success-oriented positive reinforcement method for teaching pill-swallowing, to enable a person to swallow a predetermined full-sized pill or capsule utilizing a set of incrementally increasing swallowable particulate constructs and at least one full-sized swallowable particulate construct, said method comprising the steps of, in sequence,
- a) administering a first swallowable particulate construct to a person for whom deglutition training is desired;
- b) motivating said person to swallow said first swallowable particulate construct without chewing it;
- c) positively reinforcing the success of the swallowing of step b);
- d) administering to said person a second swallowable particulate construct of the same size as the first swallowable particulate construct and on the same day as the first swallowable particulate construct was administered;
- e) motivating said person to swallow said second swallowable particulate construct without chewing it;
- f) positively reinforcing the success of the swallowing of step e);
- and
- g) repeating steps a)-f) between 3 and 40 times at a periodicity between every other day and every day, wherein each repetition of steps a)-f) further comprises the administration of a first and second swallowable particulate construct each having the same size as the other and each further having a size larger than the first and second swallowable particulate constructs administered in a previous sequence of steps a)-f);
- and
- h) administering at least one full-sized swallowable particulate construct to said person for whom deglutition training is desired, said at least one full-sized swallowable particulate construct representing a full-sized pill or capsule;
- i) motivating said person to swallow said at least one full-sized swallowable particulate construct without chewing it;
- and
- j) positively reinforcing the success of the swallowing of step i).
A pre-packaged kit for assisting in the teaching or learning of pillow swallowing comprising:
- a) a package;
- and
- b) at least two groups of swallowable particulate constructs contained within said package, each said group having two equally sized constructs, said at least two groups incrementally increasing in size from one group to the next;
- and
- c) at least one predetermined full-sized swallowable particulate construct contained within said package having a size greater than all previous constructs in said at least two groups of swallowable particulate constructs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.