The Effects of the “SPEAK OUT! ®” and “LOUD Crowd®” Voice Programs for Parkinson Disease

TLDR

Parkinson’s disease impairs speech by reducing airflow, vocal fold vibration, and articulator coordination, and existing therapy usually targets vocal intensity in individual sessions. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of the SPEAK OUT!® and LOUD Crowd® voice remediation programs on Parkinson’s disease patients. The programs combined individual and group therapy components, and outcomes were measured via objective vocal intensity and perceptual voice ratings before and after treatment. Both objective vocal intensity and perceptual voice ratings improved significantly after the interventions. Full text available at DOI 10.15640/ijhs.v3n2a3.

Abstract

The Effects of the "SPEAK OUT! ® and "LOUD Crowd®" Voice Programs for Parkinson Disease June S. Levitt, Shilpa Chitnis, Delaina Walker-Batson Abstract Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience difficulties in various motor functions due to decreased amplitude and sensory guidance. Speech production is a motoric behavior, and difficulties with oral communication are often seen in these patients. The communication problems are primarily due to decreased airflow from the lungs, incomplete vocal fold vibration, and an insufficient range of motion and coordination of the speech articulators. Current behavioral management methods for communication difficulties with PD typically address the reduced vocal intensity in "one-on-one" voice therapy sessions. The present study investigated the effects of a set of voice remediation programs for PD that includes individual and group therapy components, namely, the SPEAK OUT!® and LOUD Crowd® programs. Objective measurements of vocal intensity and perceptual measurements of the patients' ratings of the voice were recorded during the pre- and post-voice treatment phases. Statistically significant improvements were identified in both objective and perceptual measurements. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/ijhs.v3n2a3