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Do you need information about Parkinson's? PDF's educational materials provide information about symptoms, medications, local resources and more.
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Speech Problems
Some 90 percent of people with Parkinson’s experience changes in their speech. They tend to speak softly, even though to them it feels as if they are speaking at a normal volume. Additionally, people with Parkinson’s often speak in a monotone, and their voices can get hoarse. As the disease progresses, they may articulate words less precisely or develop a tremor in the voice.
Taken together, these changes can cause people with Parkinson’s to lose confidence in their voices, to feel as if others don’t listen to them, and to withdraw from conversations.
A form of speech therapy specifically for people with Parkinson’s has been developed from over 20 years of research, and is the only speech therapy that has been proven effective in clinical trials. Known as the Lee Silverman Voice Technique (LSVT), it is an intensive program of exercising the voice. The focus is on “thinking loud” in order to do all the things needed to speak forcefully—take a deep breath, articulate, and move the lips and jaw. To learn more, or to find a qualified clinician, go to www.lsvt.org.
Related Resources from the PD Resource List
The Science and Practice of "Speaking LOUD"
Category: Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy
Resource Type: Publications
Publication Date: 2008
Author: Lorraine Ramig, Ph.D., CCC-SLP and Cynthia Fox, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Publisher: Parkinson's Disease Foundation
Cost: Free
Toll Free: (800) 457-6676
Email: info@pdf.org
Associated URL: www.pdf.org/en/factsheets
Address: 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509
City: New York Zip: 10018
Language: English
State: New York
This fact sheet offers information on speech and voice disorders sometimes experienced by people with PD. Subjects include causes of speech and voice impairment in Parkinson's and helpful speech and voice therapy treatments. Also offered in Spanish.
Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT)
Category: Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy
Resource Type: Websites
Toll Free: (888) 438-5788
Email: info@lsvtglobal.com
Associated URL: www.lsvtglobal.com
Language: English
This organization teaches and further develops the LSVT method, a non-pharmacological and non-surgical intervention shown to be an effective speech treatment program which can improve oral communication in individuals with Parkinson's. The toll-free number and website offers a state-by-state listing of those speech language pathologists trained in this treatment method.
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