ASPEKT Academy
ASPEKT Academy is a 2-day in-person training, led by Catriona Steele and other Steele Swallowing Lab staff. In 2026, the course will be offered 3 times. The first session will be held in Groningen, Netherlands in February. A second offering will be held in Toronto, Canada and the third in Australia. For learners who have completed the 2-day in-person Academy training and want to establish competency in ASPEKT rating, an 8-week virtual “Credential Rater Training” course is offered. Dates for 2026 can be found in the table below.
ASPEKT Academy is intended for people who perform videofluoroscopy and are interested in using videofluoroscopy in research. The main focus is on introducing and illustrating the ASPEKT Method (Analysis of Swallowing Physiology: Events, Kinematics and Timing), a standard operating procedure for quantitative analysis of videofluoroscopy recordings of swallowing in adults. Participants are expected to complete 2 hours of self-study web-based training before the course.
By the end of this training, attendees will be familiar with the full ASPEKT Method involving:
- Rating swallowing safety with the Penetration-Aspiration Scale
- Deriving measures of pharyngeal phase swallow timing
- Using pixel-based tracing methods to measure residue and swallowing kinematics
- Identifying and resolving discrepancies in ratings across raters
- Identifying methodological factors that may influence ASPEKT measures
Additional ASPEKT Training
ASPEKT-C Training
Web-based training in the ASPEKT-C Method (ASPEKT for Clinical Practice) is currently in development. Professor Steele offers some in-person courses in the ASPEKT-C Method on a per-request basis, pending her availability. Inquiries can be sent to tri-swallowinglab@uhn.ca.
Credentialed Rater Training
For learners who have completed in-person ASPEKT Academy training, and intend to use the method for rating videos, we offer a Credentialed ASPEKT Rater Training course. This is an 8-week tutored practice opportunity using a set of criterion referenced videos. In order to use the term “Credentialed ASPEKT Rater”, attendees must achieve pre-specified accuracy criteria.
Join us for ASPEKT Training Courses in 2026!
| ASPEKT Academy Course Fees | Instruction Language | Attendee | Trainee | Attendee from LMIC* | Trainee from LMIC* | Registration Status |
| Groningen, Netherlands February 12 & 13, 2026 Location: University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanzeplein 1, 9700RB, Groningen, the Netherlands |
English | $500 CAD | $250 CAD | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | CLOSED |
| Toronto, Canada May 28 & 29, 2026 |
English | $500 CAD | $250 CAD | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | OPEN Deadline: May 12, 2026 |
| Melbourne, Victoria, Australia November 11 & 12, 2026 |
English | $500 CAD | $250 CAD | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | NOT OPEN YET |
| Sydney, New South Wales, Australia November 17 & 18, 2026 |
English | $500 CAD | $250 CAD | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | NOT OPEN YET |
| Additional Credentialed Rater Training Fees | Instruction Language | Attendee | Trainee | Attendee from LMIC* | Trainee from LMIC* | Registration Status |
| Series 1 – March 1 to April 26 2026 Virtual sessions: – 1pm local Toronto time – March 11, 18, April 1, 8 and 15 |
English | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | CLOSED |
| Series 2 – March 1 to April 26 2026 Virtual sessions: – 7pm local Toronto time – March 11, 18, April 1, 8 and 15 |
Portuguese | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | CLOSED |
| Series 3 – June 8 to August 2 2026 Virtual sessions: – 1pm local Toronto time – June 17, 24, July 8, 15 and 22 |
English | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | OPEN Deadline: May 31, 2026 |
| Series 4 – June 8 to August 2 2026 Virtual sessions: – 7pm local Toronto time – June 17, 24, July 8, 15 and 22 |
English | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | OPEN Deadline: May 31, 2026 |
| Series 5 – November 30 2026 to
February 7 2027 Virtual sessions: – 4pm local Toronto time – December 9, 16, 2026 and January 13, 20, 27 2027 NOTE: Holiday closure December 21 2026 to January 3 2027 |
English | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | NOT OPEN YET |
| Series 6 – November 30 2026 to
February 7 2027 Virtual sessions: – 8pm local Toronto time – December 9, 16, 2026 and January 13, 20, 27 2027 NOTE: Holiday closure December 21 2026 to January 3 2027 |
English | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | $125 CAD | NOT OPEN YET |
| Workshop | Instruction Language | Attendee | Trainee | Attendee from LMIC* | Trainee from LMIC* | Registration Status |
| Melbourne, Victoria, Australia November 9 & 10, 2026 Topic: Best Practices in Videofluoroscopy Course length: 2 days |
English | $500 CAD | $250 CAD | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | NOT OPEN YET |
| Brisbane, Queensland, Australia November 14 & 15, 2026 Topic: Best Practices in Videofluoroscopy Course length: 2 days |
English | $500 CAD | $250 CAD | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | NOT OPEN YET |
| Sydney, New South Wales, Australia November 19 & 20, 2026 Topic: Best Practices in Videofluoroscopy Course length: 2 days |
English | $500 CAD | $250 CAD | $250 CAD | $125 CAD | NOT OPEN YET |
*LMIC – low and middle income countries as defined here: World Bank country classifications by income level for 2025-2026
**Trainees are individuals currently enrolled in PhD or post-doctoral fellowship programs.
Uncertain about signing up and want more information? Click below to send us your questions about ASPEKT Academy!
Check out previous Academies!
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – August 2025 
Venice, Italy – May 2025 
Toronto, Canada – February 2024 
A walk to Nathan Phillips Square (Toronto, Canada) 
Rating practice 
Toronto, Canada – March 2023 
An outing to Niagara Falls (Canada) 
Toronto, Canada – March 2023 
Dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory (Toronto, Canada) 
Toronto, Canada – October 2023 
Toronto, Canada – October 2023 
A visit to the Ripley’s Aquarium (Toronto, Canada)
“I recently completed my PhD in Neuroscience. I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University in Canada. I also hold master’s degrees in Speech and Language Pathology from Iran and Swallowing Disorders from UAB, Spain. The ASPEKT Academy course has not only influenced but significantly shaped my research trajectory. The expertise and hospitality of the ASPEKT team fostered an exceptional learning environment, facilitating a comprehensive and effective transfer of their methodologies. This course provided advanced techniques through the ASPEKT Method, greatly enhancing my academic pursuits and clinical practice in understanding swallowing physiology (events, kinematics and timing). The ASPEKT Academy course has been truly transformative in my academic journey.”
– Sima, Canada
“I attended to ASPEKT Academy in March/2023 as a PhD student from Brazil, as for my thesis our goal was to analyze swallow temporal measures in neurological patients. The ASPEKT Academy provided a critical theorical background, and a well monitored practice training. It allowed me to have a more profound knowledge on the variables in my study, and also how to have a clearer analysis of the data that I collected. Dr. Steele, Dr. Mancopes, and all the members of the ASPEKT Academy were extremely kind during the entire week, not just to show availability to answer all my questions, but also in making the Canada experience really pleasant. I totally recommend this in-person training, this course had a crucial impact in my PhD.”
– Irina, Brazil
“Participating in the ASPEKT Academy 2023 Videofluoroscopy course on swallowing measures at the Steele Swallowing Lab was invaluable, especially as objective assessments of swallowing are not yet established in Austria…Learning to utilize precise metrics refined my diagnostic skills, enabling more accurate assessments and tailored interventions. This emphasis on evidence-based practices has empowered me to incorporate rigorous methods not only into my practice but also into my research development, ensuring high standards of care. Videofluoroscopy measures especially enhanced my area of interest in the field of food oral processing, providing insights crucial for developing comprehensive outcome assessment. “
– Simon, Austria
” ASPEKT Academy provided world-class international training in quantitative swallowing analysis and connected me with professionals worldwide!”
– Lidia, Brazil